Made by History

Today I arrived once again to the city of Pori, which was once my home base for conducting archaeological surveys all around Satakunta. While the province is full of fascinating sites from early Mesolithic period to more contemporary industrial history, there was one particular site that caught my attention and has kept me busy over the long winter – that is Pori Airpot. Warning sign for the airport area in Finnish and German. Taken in 1944. The construction of Pori Airport was completed in autumn 1939 and due to the imminent start of the Winter War, its operations were soon taken over by the Finnish Air Force. While Finns already sought to expand the airport and its defenses, the more significant fortification program got started in July 1941, when the airport operations were handed over to the German allies. The airport soon became an important depot, from where the Germans dispatched aircraft to the north and carried out major overhauls. After Finland negotiated a sep...

Last test pit of 2018 in progress . After a long winter, there comes a moment, when all archaeologists in Finland start feeling a sudden itch in their body. They find themselves looking into the weather forecast more closely and keep constantly peaking outside to check if the snow was still there. Some might even start storing empty banana boxes, which they couldn't just pass by at a local market. Even though my pile of boxes is still fairly moderate, I'm also starting to feel that the field season is upon us and it's time to prepare trowels for the summer! While I'm preparing for the new projects to come, and for a return to certain familiar sites, I will share my thoughts along the journey. There is a lot to do this spring and I'm happy to soon announce certain upcoming projects that I've been working on over the winter. So stay tuned and get ready for yet another field season - this one will be even better than ever before!