Made by History

When the snow melts, it's once again time to head out to the field! While there has been a lot of projects going on and I will get back to them later in my writings, I want to start with something very recent. For the past two weeks, I've got to enjoy yet another Stone Age excavation with the Finnish Heritage Agency. This time the excavation happens to be on my home turf, as we're spending six weeks researching the fascinating past of Harjavalta. All finds are given exact coordinates with a total station. Photo: David Cleasby. The site in question is called Kraakanmäki 3  - the number coming from the fact that it's the third archaeological heritage site discovered at Kraakanmäki in Harjavalta. While the other Kraakanmäki sites were fully excavated already in 2014, this newest addition was discovered only in 2020, when shovel test pits revealed finds such as pottery and quartz flakes. Based on the pottery and post-glacial rebound, the site was used around 4000 years ago ...

Last year we finally begun the archaeological excavations of the Luftwaffe airfield in Pori by organizing an educational excavation together with the high school students of PSYL. The excavation was a part of a high school history course, during which the students did not only participate the excavation, but also cleaned and studied the finds before planning a small exhibition at Satakunta Museum. As the exhibition now comes to an end, I wish to share a few photos of the display. Some of the personal items discovered from the area, including Junghans clock. Exhibition, called simply Mullankaivajat due to the grant that made it all possible, was on display at the museum from September 25th, 2020 to January 3rd, 2021, although it technically remained closed to public for the last weeks due to coronavirus restrictions by the city of Pori. However, the exhibition gained quite a sizable audience during autumn and was met with positive feedback by the museum visitors and staff alike. Th...