Mesolithic Paradise

Three weeks in Keitele are finally over and the excavations were conducted successfully to the end. While our days in the trenches remained scorching hot due to the unusually long heatwave, the nearby lake provided some comfort and the multitude of finds kept our spirits high! Even though the finds are still waiting to be examined and the report to be written, I can share some initial thoughts of the excavations at this site that proved to be a Mesolithic paradise to any Stone Age archaeologist.

Fire place from the first week getting slowly uncovered.

As we had opened three trenches on the first week, we continued the work on all three areas, while also opening some smaller test trenches to see the extent of the archaeological potential.

Photo: Sara Perälä
The site continued to be rich in finds, although the variety of them was as narrow as expected from a Mesolithic site in Finland. Basically, almost all finds could be divided into two categories - animal bones and quartz. The latter category however contained a variety of objects, flakes and cores. While the osteological report will shed more light into the consumed animals, based on last year's excavations at the site and the multitude of found scrapers, it's reasonable to assume that the dominant mammal species is elk, while smaller bones belong to a variety of fish species.

Besides quartz and bone finds, some primitive stone objects were discovered as well, including the chisel fragment shown on the photo.

The fireplaces we had located on the first week were researched more closely as well, and both coal and soil samples were taken for further research in the laboratory. While coal samples will be sent to Uppsala for radiocarbon dating, soils samples will be mine to examine later under the microscope for potential plant remains.

After all work was done, it was time for us to head straight to Tornio for yet another excavation - this time diving into the historical period of the city. Finds from Keitele will be further researched after the excavation season is finished and a report can be expected later this winter. I will be sure to post more about our lab work later the year to showcase what awaits after the fieldwork.
Location: Keitele, Suomi

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Around Satakunta: The Big Three of Eura

Image
In Finland, there are certain sites that every archaeology student hears about during the very first lectures at the university – and surprisingly enough, many of them lie quite close to each other within the borders of Eura. While Eura has put a lot of effort into showcasing their ancient history and there's a plenty of information online to plan a day-trip, I still wanted to share a few prominent sites to get started with. In case you have time only for a few sites, you might want to go with these "big three"! The Kings's Grave – largest burial cairn in Finland. Kuninkaanhauta Kuninkaanhauta, literally the King’s Grave, is the largest burial cairn in Finland. It’s located right along the road, so everyone passing by is sure to notice this pile of stones rising up to 4,5 meters in height. It has never been researched from the inside but based on the location it has been dated to the early half of the Bronze Age 3500 years ago. If you have never seen cair...
Read more

Tracing the First Humans of Lapland

Image
Last week I once again joined the payroll of the Finnish Heritage Agency, but this time the work was something entirely different. Instead of traveling around the country like last year, I'm stationed in the municipality of Savukoski for two months. By opening twelve excavation trenches around the far eastern parts of the Finnish Lapland, we're hoping to get a glimpse into the life of the first humans who set their foot in Lapland more than 10,000 years ago. Preparing an excavation area with a total station. Savukoski is one of the cradles of early human habitation in Finland and one would think that any archaeologist would be eager to be the one to research it. However, due to the relatively isolated location of the potential sites and lack of funding for archaeological research, the sites have seen very little research and all finds from the area are from field surveys. Thus, our excavation has a plenty of potential to shed light into the distant past of the whol...
Read more

Around Satakunta: Many Periods of Karvia

Image
While Satakunta has many famous archaeological sites to offer, sometimes it's fun to diverge from the paved path and seek something entirely different. For me, one of the most memorable trips from this summer was a long drive through the northern parts of the province, where I was met by sites from various periods from the early Mesolithic to the Swedish era and even up to the World War II. As the distances in the north are as great as the gaps between the periods of various sites, I will only concentrate on Karvia, which alone has much to offer to any curious soul. Kyrönkankaan tie - a road that was first mentioned in 1556 and has seen many uses ever since. Pantti The impossible task of taking photos of dwelling sites. A great place to start your Karvia tour is from the very beginning of human habitation in the area. Pantti is a Stone Age dwelling site, which has not yet seen much research and the finds from the first survey include only quartz flakes and bone. Ho...
Read more