The Saimaa-Ladoga project – question framing and strategies
Abstract
The Saimaa-Ladoga project was an archaeological field research including the excavation of a Stone Age dwelling site and surveys in the Karelian Isthmus. Surveys were carried out between 1998 and 2003 in the former Finnish municipalities of Kaukola, Räisälä, Kurkijoki, Johannes, Koivisto and Kuolemajärvi. The present publication is a collection of the results of the fieldwork.
The Karelian Isthmus is very rich in Stone Age sites. In the beginning surveys were made in order to become familiar with all kinds of sites representing hunter-fisher cultures in the Karelian Isthmus before launching excavations at sites. The survey results in every municipality were successful. In total the survey uncovered c. 110 new sites not known before. The largest numbers of sites were in Kaukola, Räisälä and Kurkijoki. This may be explained by the fact that the fieldwork carried out at the Gulf of Finland so far totals less than two weeks altogether. The project carried out one excavation at the Juoksemajärvi Westend site in Räisälä in 2002. The results indicate that the site was used at least during the Mesolithic, the Early Neolithic and the Late Neolithic.
As a result of the project dwelling sites with depressions representing a new site type in the Isthmus were found. Sites of different sizes are known in many kinds of environments. Surveys have concentrated mostly on the elevation contours representing the Stone Age water level of Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland. Early Metal Period sites dating after the outbreak of the River Neva were not found. Altogether only very few new Early Metal Period or Iron Age sites were found.
This article is an introduction to the series of articles where the results of the fieldwork are presented. It also takes up some basic concepts, question framing and methodology applied to the fieldwork. A short review of the history of the research in the Isthmus is also presented.
