Time for some well deserved summer vacation or the archaeologist :)

See you all again in a couple of weeks time. Lot´s of interesting coming up later this season, starting with trial excavations in Raseborg (red ochre site) and Ölmosviken late neolithic dwelling site in August. In September and October we will be doing many more excavations in Hangö and in Raseborg (Långåmossarna) and maybe on one more site!

I would like to wish all of you a wonderful summer!

"Durchgangslager Hangö". Day 14/15 of the 2017 excavation season.

Todays excavation was interrupted by rain. Due to all the very fragile (paper) and small finds in the ground we can´t conduct  excavations when the soil is wet.

Rain in Hanko, photo Henrik Gahmberg

Better weather is expected tomorrow :)

"Durchgangslager Hangö". Day 13/15 of the 2017 excavation season.

Not that much digging on this beautiful summers day.  Instead we ventured on lenghthy tour looking at the different activity areas of the German transition camp. We looked closely at the "Entlausungsdorf" area, the "Stammofiziersunterkunfte" and "DRK schwester" area as well as the "Ukrainer Lager".

We found a large stash of Finnish messkits today. The messkits were reburied after documentation.

The digging today consisted of excavating the bottom layer of excavation area 5. and filling up of excavation area 4. At some distance from our main excavation area we located a large stash of Finnish WW2 messkits that quite possibly could belong to "V raivaajaosasto". The unit was responsible for clearing mines in the waters around Hanko directly after WW2. There might of course be more possibilities of why and by whom the messkists were buried but we will be a lot wiser after we excavate this area in autumn this year.

Clearing the many seamines after the war was a dangerous task.

"Durchgangslager Hangö". Day 12/15 of the 2017 excavation season.

Grey skies but no rain in Hanko today despite this mornings weather forecast that predicted terrible weather. This ment that we were able to extend excavation area five and dig all day.

The finds appears to extend over several hundred square meters but because this is a nature reserve area we are only excavating  small parts of it. Below you can see pictures of a few of todays finds!

Field made (1944) love trinket with the letters HW inside the heart.

Another ring!

A womans hair comb (a memory from a girlfriend back home?)

Porcellain figurine.

A fragment of a "Sterbebild"or a death notice from a newspaper.

A few surface finds.

"Durchgangslager Hangö". Day 10-11/15 of the 2017 excavation season.

Last Friday we were mostly covering up excavation areas but today it was time to dig again. This day started off with a new excavation team, but a very effective one, so the dig got a really good start today. We opened up two new excavation areas and will probably start a third one tomorrow!

Wonderful sunny and warm weather too, can´t complain :)

Large gilded KRIEGSMARINE button.

Text on the backside, "KRIEGSMARINE"

Makers mark FLL for Friedrich Linden, Lüdenscheid, 1938.

New excavation area!

 Fig coffee label from "Voglsanger" in Innsbruck!

 Patriotic brass matchbox cover.

Lüger or Parabelum cartridge. The cdp makers mark is for Theodor Bergmann &co. Waffen und Munitionsfabrik Berlin.

Welcome to join the Ölmosviken late stone-age/early bronze age settlement site excavation 21-27.8.2017 (Monday to Sunday)!

Neolithic flint sickle blade (from nearby Perniö). Photo NBA.

You are now invited to join us in the excavation of this very promising dwelling site from ca 2300-1500 BC. No previous knowledge of archaeology is required! Please sen email to joneij@gmail.com if you wish to particapate for one or more days. The excavation is organised by Kimitoöns Vuxeninstitut.

Potsherds attributable to the so called "Kiukais Culture" have been discovered at the site in 2011. Photo NBA.

The site is situated in SW Finland on Kimitoön near Dragsfjärd. Part nature reserve the area is both scenic an rich in animal life. There are many prehistoric sites here too! The dwelling site was found by locals in 2011 but no previous excavations has been carried out until now!

http://100luontohelmea.fi/helmi/purunpaa

Sites with finds from the "Kiukais Culture" in Finland.

"Durchgangslager Hangö". Day 9/15 of the 2017 excavation season.

Slightly warmer weather in Hanko today and not quite as windy as during the previous excavation days this week. The second week of excavations is drawing to it´s close but the site keeps on giving...
Below are just a few of todays finds but I think you see what I mean.

 Small mirror with an interesting image on the reverse.

 Excavation area two, layer 2.

 Hand painted small flowers on a comb fragment.

 Lots of interesting finds in this third excavation area.

 A pipe.

 A glass container that once held "VIKING" shoe cream.

Lid to a "Heer Butterdose".