Archaeology and the changing image of medieval written culture

Authors

• Janne Harjula Turun yliopisto

Abstract

In this article, I present some main features of the archaeology of written culture with emphasis on medieval Finland, especially its urban and ecclesiastical contexts. Could archaeology challenge the traditional view of medieval society, which has regarded the skills of writing and reading to be chiefly privileges of the upper strata of society? Archaeological examples of the use of writing/reading skills in more diverse, everyday contexts come from many parts of Europe. Writing tools are common finds also in Finnish excavations of medieval contexts. Moreover, a large number of pieces from books, i.e. mounts and clasps, have been discovered. The third important group are the artefacts with inscriptions. The number of objects connected to writing seems to be steadily growing due to the increase of archaeological excavations carried out. It is obvious that basic research on the artefacts connected to writing/reading must be carried out before conclusions can be drawn about the culture of writing and its development in time, place, and different social contexts.