Uncovering the WWII Hanko, week III

Three weeks in Hanko went past faster than I expected, but luckily the finds continued numerous during the last week and the new crew made exciting discoveries each day. For this last week, we concentrated our efforts on excavating a sizable trash dump within the Ukrainian prison camp, uncovering layers rich in a variety of finds - porcelain, coins, buttons, combs and a lot more. Meanwhile I led a small task force to finish the excavations at the German Red Cross (DRK) trench, which required still a fair bit of work even after three weeks of excavations.

"The Graveyard of Bottles"
So far all the trenches we've opened have been a bit different in the type of finds, but with these two trenches the difference was even more clear. While the finds of the Ukrainian prison camp included a lot of personal items, such as a mess tin with its owner's initials carved on it and even a SA Sports Badge, the finds from the DRK trench were very different in style. During these last few days, we found lots of bottles, bottle caps, cans and other containers. It was clear that the finds from the DRK site had a different context, as they were likely from the canteen that had existed around the area. Furthermore, everything was dumped into an old Russian trench, which was still slightly visible at the site even after being filled with sand.

Differences were quite evident through drinking tools as well. While the DRK finds included solely porcelain made by the Finnish ceramics company Arabia, the ones at the other dump very various in style. The finds included colorful bakelite cups, decorative glassware and even a single Luftwaffe coffee cup that looked almost brand new unlike other porcelain that would give much work to any puzzle enthusiast.

Eventually both trenches were dug through and all the finds from these past weeks were packed nicely into the storage for further research later this year. While these weeks have been fairly exhausting, the numerous finds and great company have made them much more enjoyable than I could have ever imagine. Even though my short writings give only a brief look into these weeks, there has been a lot more happening both on the field and after the work days were over.

I could write a completely another post about the importance of team-spirit in archaeology, but it's already worth mentioning that a great team makes a great excavation and that has been my biggest lesson for the week. While there are many things that I feel appreciative of, it's the people I will miss the most. Luckily there are more field seasons with more opportunities for cooperation! And it's not like this summer is over either, as on Monday I will move on to work for the Finnish Heritage Agency for the next three months. So, interesting journeys will continue for the weeks to come!

For more detailed descriptions and photos of the finds, I again refer you to Jan Fast's blog starting from this post from Monday.
Location: Hanko, Suomi

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