Day 5/8. Excavating the Kläppkärr (Early Comb Ceramic and Corded Ware Culture) stone-age dwelling site in Espoo S. Finland

Today was a very busy day indeed with fantastic finds of Early Comb Ceramic pottery and a visit by the media. Radio reporter Anna Louhisto together with the very experienced Mathias Gustafson pulled of a very nice live interview for the morning show @ Radio Vega huvudstadsregionen.

Focused participants during the community archaeology field school earlier today.

Several concentrations of potsherds were excavated during the day one of which contained large fragments of the rounded bottom part of a large Comb Ceramic vessel. Fragments of the botto part of Early Comb Ceramic Vessels of style Ka I:2 are extremely rare so we were of course very exited about the find.

Large concentrations of Early Comb Ceramic potsherds. Photos Jan Fast and Mathias Gustafson.

Tomorrow we will start excavating layer three of excavation area two. More pottery is anticpated and  hopefully also some nice surprises :). The weather report promises sun and temperatures around 31 degrees Celsius so we can´t complain <3 

Birches and Lupines (Lupinus polyphyllus) grow on the stone-age seashore 6 000 years after it was inhabited.

Day 4/8. Excavating the Kläppkärr (Early Comb Ceramic and Corded Ware Culture) stone-age dwelling site in Espoo S. Finland

We are now half-way into this years excavation. With the weather still on our side it is very probable that we are about to hit the part of the find layer with most the best finds tomorrow. The fine sandy soil makes the excavation work easy and also helps out in the spotting of finds.

Excavating layers 2 and 3.

Todays finds were a mix of Corded Ware Culture and Early Comb Ceramic Culture items. All of the stone artefacts found today (including a larg fragment of a stone axe) belong to the Comb Ceramic phase as was much of the pottery. Finds of burnt seal bones can also probably be connected to this older occupation phase.

More early Comb Ceramic potsherds decorated with a very strict geometric design.

As much of the data related to the finds is still stored in the tachymeter it is still too early to say anything certain about how the finds from the different occupation periods are spread out in the cultural layer. At the moment however the finds seem to be very mixed both vertically and horisontally.

Pinponting the finds using a tachymeter.

Day 3/8. Excavating the Kläppkärr (Early Comb Ceramic and Corded Ware Culture) stone-age dwelling site in Espoo S. Finland

Today we finally got to excavate the top of the find layer. As the finds are quite plentiful and we have a steady work force of 20 people/day we extended the excavation area with 8 more square meters. 

Archaeologist MA Janne Soisalos work today centered on the Tachymeter and other measuring work.

Despite a fierce (but short) thunderstorm the excavation proceeds according to plan. Todays finds inclded many well preserved items from the later stage of the Early Comb Ceramic period. The over 200 finds included a slate chisel, fragments of whetstones and numerous potsherds, quartz and slate flakes as well as burnt bone. 

Slate chisel (right) and Ka I:2 rimsherds with traces of red ochre paint and charred organic remains.

A few interesting features have also started to appear. Among them is a 80 cm deep and 1,5 m wide refuse pit with signs of fire and mixed finds from both periods of occupation.

An 80 cm deep refuse pit in the E profile of excavation area one.

The third day of excavation also brought more potsherds from the Corded Ware Culture including a few very nice rimsherds with a nicely outwards bent rim.

Corded Ware Culture rimsherds.

Day 2/8. Excavating the Kläppkärr (Early Comb Ceramic and Corded Ware Culture) stone-age dwelling site in Espoo S. Finland

The warm and sunny weather continues so we yesterday we decided to start this day one hour earlier than usual to take advantage of the slightly cooler morning air. This proved to be a good decision as we managed to open up and remove the topsoil of the entire excavation area in a couple of hours.

Excavating layer one in style.

While excavating the surface layer (layer 1)many small finds like potsherds, fragments of polished stone tools, as well as quartz and slate flakes kept turning up. This indicates that almost the entire area will be quite rich in finds in layers 2-4.

The excavation area after the removal of the topsoil (level 1) and a small comb ceramic  potsherd.  

Tomorrow and with the help of our experienced excavation crew of 20 +3 we will probably reach level 2 over the entire excavation area. Many more exiting and happy moments lie ahead during the next 6 days <3

Children under 14 years of age are akllowed to participate when accompanied by an adult.

Day 1/8. Excavating the Kläppkärr (Early Comb Ceramic and Corded Ware Culture) stone-age dwelling site in Espoo S. Finland

Ever since its discovery in the 1930´s the beautiful stone-age dwelling site at Kläppkärr has been left somewhat in the shadow of the nearby more "famous" dwelling sites Sperrings I and Sperrings II. The site dates to the Early Comb Ceramic Culture (Ka I:1 and Ka I:2 ca 5000-4000 BC) and the Corded Ware Culture (ca 3200-2300 BC).

Shallow streams of water still run through the landscape where the sea once used to be.

The dwelling site that during the early Comb Ceramic Culture lay on a sandy seashore is now forest and farmland. Earlier excavations by me and archaeologist Stefan Wessman in the late 1990´s showed that part of the dwelling site has been destroyed by cultivation but that significant parts of the site still remained untouched in the forest area. In 2019 me and archaeologist Janne Soisalo continued where me and Stefan Wessman had left off in the 1990´s. This years excavation is the sixth archaeological dig of the site.

Part of the site is situated in a field while part of it has been preserved in the nearby forest.

Although today we were just starting some 200 nice finds from both periods of occupation turned up during the first five hours of the first excavation day. The Corded Ware culture potsherds were especially abundant.

A few of the over 100 Corded Ware Culture potsherds that were found during the first excavation day.

A Comb Ceramic rimsherd that possibly dates to the early Typical Comb Ceramic Culture (Ka II:1 ca 3900-3800 BC) or very late Early Comb Ceramic Culture (Ka I:2 ca 4000 BC)

Below a few more photos from the sunny and warm excavation day. Thumbs up for more interesting finds during the days to come!

A huge thanks to our fantastic 2022 excavation team in Jäkärlä

This years excavation in Jäkärlä ends tomorrow and me and archaeologist Janne Soisalo would like to taket the opportunity to thank each and every member of our excavation team. A nice mix of people of very different ages, language groups and backgrounds.  The laughter and the joy of discovery could be felt (and heard) every single day.

Snapshots from the 2022 excavation in Jäkärlä. Photo: Jemina Rajamäki.

The finds were beautiful too and many of us already started thinking about next years excavation. In 2023 we will excavate a part of the dwelling site which appears to be very rich in finds. See you all again then 💛

6000 year old fragments of Jäkärlä Ware. Photo: Sofia Rinne Pekuri.
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Last but not least a big thanks to Åbo Arbetarinstituf for arranging the community archaeology fiekd school for the second year in a row. 

Day 3/8. Excavating the Jäkärlä (Jäkärlä Culture) stone-age dwelling site in Turku SW. Finland

Today we finally hit the jackpot when we found two large concentrations of  well preserved potsherds from the Jäkärlä culture. Finds of potsherds of this type are rather rare in Finland so we were all very exited about the find which may make it possible for us to restore two or maybe three complete pots.

Well preserved large fragments of Jäkärlä Ware.

According to archaeologist Petro Pesonen "Jäkärlä Ware appears to be a short-living and quite a isolated group with possible coexistence with Middle Neolithic Typical Comb Ware in the turn of the Early and Middle Neolithic of eastern Fennoscandia" (Pesonen P. 2019) . Jäkärlä ware can be dated to a short 200-300 year long period around 4000 BC.

   
More ornate Jäkärlä Ware.

Today we also found a complete but well worn slate chisel and a large fragment of a stone-axe so the next couple of days will be very exiting indeed.

Part of the fantastic team of the first leg of this years excavation in Jäkärlä. Photos Jan Fast and Suvi Pukero (l.)

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