Archaeology for all! No previous knowledge of archaeology is needed.
You can now secure your spot at the excavation via the link below! Act now, there are only 10 spots left!
Monday, 19 February 2018
Secure your spot at the archaeological excavation in Porvoo 15-17.6.2018
Due to the massive interest in the upcoming community archaeology excavation in Porvoo "Porvoon Kansalaisopisto" has launched a second leg of the excavation from June 15th to June 17th (Friday-Sunday). The excavation will take place on a 6000-year old dwelling site in Porvoo!
You can now secure your spot at the excavation via the link below! Act now, there are only 10 spots left!
You can now secure your spot at the excavation via the link below! Act now, there are only 10 spots left!
Wednesday, 24 January 2018
New dates added to the community archaeology dig in Porvoo!!!
Great
news! The upcoming excavation i Porvoo has proven a huge success with some 35
people participating. This means we will be able to add a second leg to the excavation!! I will post more info on the additional dates very soon!
In the meantime it´s still possible to secure a place at the excavations by contacting Porvoon kansalaisopisto!
Typical comb ceramic ware from Porvoo (Böle). Photo University of Helsinki.
In the meantime it´s still possible to secure a place at the excavations by contacting Porvoon kansalaisopisto!
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Upcoming archaeology school visits in spring 2018
This spring I will visit schools in the larger Helsinki region o speak about "Archaeology from the Stone Age to the Second World War". The lectures are in Finnish, Swedish and English.
Please contact me on jfarchaeology@gmail.com to order more info on the upcoming school visits. I offer several affordable packages including participation in archaeological excavations in may 2018 called "A Day as an Archaeologist"!
Best,
Jan :)
High school students from Raseborg experiencing "A Day as an Archaeologist in 2016".
Please contact me on jfarchaeology@gmail.com to order more info on the upcoming school visits. I offer several affordable packages including participation in archaeological excavations in may 2018 called "A Day as an Archaeologist"!
Best,
Jan :)
Thursday, 4 January 2018
First archaeology fieldtrip in 2018
Me, archaeologist Janne Soisalo, archaeology student Teemu Väisänen and local history enthusiast Micke Malm ventured on our first fieldtrip of our 2018 field season on the 3.1.2018. We visited several interesting find areas in Raseborg but two places really stood out!
Krogarbacken is an area that is situated very close to the iron age and late medieval dwelling sites in Kroggård. The reason for our visit were quartz flakes found nere the summit of Krogarbacken. Sadly this area was very badly damaged and we couldnt confirm th existence of a stone age dwelling site.
Easily discernable mesolithic and early neolithic beach terraces in the east part of the large gravel pit.
A bit dissapointed after the lack of mesolithic finds we ran into an interesting area related to iron smelting in the same area! The finds included iron slag, burnt clay and pitchblack sandy soil full of charcoal.
The large gravel pit @ Raseborg Krogarbacken.
Krogarbacken is an area that is situated very close to the iron age and late medieval dwelling sites in Kroggård. The reason for our visit were quartz flakes found nere the summit of Krogarbacken. Sadly this area was very badly damaged and we couldnt confirm th existence of a stone age dwelling site.
A bit dissapointed after the lack of mesolithic finds we ran into an interesting area related to iron smelting in the same area! The finds included iron slag, burnt clay and pitchblack sandy soil full of charcoal.
Janne S and Micke M surveying. Krogarbacken 3.1.2018.
Stormossen 21 m. asl. was the main target of our fieltrip and what a wonderful stone-age dwelling site it was! Lots of quartz flakes and pottery as far as the eye could see. We documented and mapped the area for future research (perhaps in the spring of 2019).
Stormossen, neolithic potsherd.
The Stormossen neolithic dwelling site.
Quartz flakes found by the landowner prior to ur visit!
The new sites were reported to the National Board of Antiquities today. Depending on how the winter continues here in S. Finland even more fieldtrieps might be possible before spring :)
Tuesday, 2 January 2018
The registration for next years community archaeology excavation in Porvoo has started!
The stone-age mysteries Neolithic Porvoo will be revealed during a community archaeology excavation from June 8th - June 10th.2018. No previous knowledge of archaeology is required. We speak Finnish, Swedish and English.
This is the first community archaeology excavation in Porvoo in many, many years! Only 14 people per day can participate so please act fast if you whish to participate! Just click on the link below and join us in the adventure!
"Kivikaudesta Keskiaikaan-Porvoon Seudun Esihistoriaa" (1985)
This is the first community archaeology excavation in Porvoo in many, many years! Only 14 people per day can participate so please act fast if you whish to participate! Just click on the link below and join us in the adventure!
Saturday, 30 December 2017
Stone-age dwelling sites found in Raseborg!
No snow here in S. Finland at the moment, so next week (on Wednesday) me, archaeologist Janne Soisalo and archaeology student Teemu Väisänen will inspect and document newly found stone-age dwelling sites in Raseborg!
All of the sites have yielded finds of pottery (early comb ceramic and typical comb ceramic period), as well as quartz- and slate flakes from the Mesolithic stone-age. The find sites are located in previously forested areas that have been cleared by the forest industry during 2016-2017.
The new finds and the inspections are a result of more targeted co-operation between amateur archaeologists and metal detectorists in the region. As an archaeologist I´m also proud of the co-operation with the National Board of Antiquities Päivi Maaranen and Teija Tiitinen.
With these great news I would like to wish a Happy New Year 2018 to all of You!
Jan
It´s high time to take a look at the forested areas in search of new undisturbed stone-age sites! Photo co Mikko Sorsa.
All of the sites have yielded finds of pottery (early comb ceramic and typical comb ceramic period), as well as quartz- and slate flakes from the Mesolithic stone-age. The find sites are located in previously forested areas that have been cleared by the forest industry during 2016-2017.
A stone age rock painting was found in Raseborg in 2017!
The new finds and the inspections are a result of more targeted co-operation between amateur archaeologists and metal detectorists in the region. As an archaeologist I´m also proud of the co-operation with the National Board of Antiquities Päivi Maaranen and Teija Tiitinen.
With these great news I would like to wish a Happy New Year 2018 to all of You!
Jan
Friday, 8 December 2017
The registration for next years community archaeology excavation in Helsinki has started!
The community archaeology excavation will take place in Pitäjänmäki, some 10 km:s from Helsinki city centre and is easily accessible with both train and bus. The languages spoken during the excavation are Swedish, Finnish. English and German!
The excavation site is a neolithic dwelling site. It has proved very rich in finds from the late Comb Cramic period (ca 3800-3400 BC).
The maximum number of participants is limited to 25 per day so please act now in order to secure a place at the dig! Book here!
Trial excavations underway in Pitäjänmäki (2004).
The excavation site is a neolithic dwelling site. It has proved very rich in finds from the late Comb Cramic period (ca 3800-3400 BC).
Lunchbreak (2004).
Late comb ceramic (Ka II:2) potsherds (2004).
There will also be an excavation with local school students from Gymnasiet Lärkan here in 2018 (prior to the community archaeology dig)!
Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Join us in the research of stone-age Porvoo next summer! Registration starts January 2nd 2018!
Life in the stone-age. Illustration by Tom Björklund for Borgå Museum.
Thanks to the very active and friendly help from "Borgå Medborgarinstitut" me and archeologist MA Janne Soisalo are now entering the final stage of the preparations for next years community archaeology excavation in Porvoo, only some 50 km:s east of Helsinki.
Hunting with bow and arrow. Illustration by Tom Björklund for Borgå Museum.
We have not yet decided on which site to start work on. The decision is an important one as we wish to continue the excavations in the area for many years. Excavating and careful mapping is crucial to protect the important stone-age sites for future research.
A stone-age burial. Illustration by Tom Björklund for Borgå Museum.
A lecture for the participants and others with an interest in the rich stone-age history of the Porvoo region will be held in Porvoo on the 15th of May. The accompanying trial excavation of a stone-age dwelling site will be from the 8th to the 10th of June! No previous knowledge of archaeology is required in order to participate! Registration starts at 11 o´clock on the January 2nd 2018!!
Friday, 17 November 2017
Raaseporin linnan rikolliset metallinetsijät, 500 e palkkio luvattu vihjeestä
Raaseporin linna
Olen pöyristynyt. Raaseporin linnan läheisyydessä tapahtunut ryöstökaivaus
(joka ilmeisesti tehtiin syyslomaviikon aikana) on osoittautunut paljon aluksi tiedettyä vakavammaksi.
Satoja luvattomien metallinetsijöiden kuoppia "Slottsmalmenilla"
Kaikkien
apua tarvitaan nyt näiden rikollisten metallinetsijöiden kitkemiseksi
arkeologian piiristä! Lasse Nyman on luvannut 500 e palkkion vihjeestä joka johtaa tekijöiden kiinnisaamiseen. Vihjeitä voi jättää myös tämän blogin kautta tai jfarchaeology@gmail.com.
Thursday, 2 November 2017
Exciting community archaeology dig near Helsinki City Centre in 2018!
Fantastic
news! It now seems almost certain that me and Janne Soisalo will conduct a
community archaeology excavation of a neolithic stone age dwelling site in
Helsinki (Pitäjänmäki) next summer (probably in May/June).
Excavating a trial trench on the site (2004)
I have excavated this site previously in 1999-2004 and I can tell you it´s a very intersting place with a multitude of very interesting finds. The dig is part of my upcoming scientific article on community archaeology in the larger Helsinki area 1990-2017.
Excavating the site in 2004.
The site is very
close to Helsinki City Centre and easily accessible by both train and bus.
To make it
possible for as many people as possible to participate, the excavation will
take place on both weekdays and a weekend. No previous knowledge of archaeology
is required.
Boxed potsherds from the 2014 excavation.
If you wish
like to participate please email me at jfarchaeology@gmail.com or send me a
message on FB.
Happy participants in 2004 :)
Friday, 27 October 2017
Filming our detecting and research of "Durchgangslager Hangö" for the You Tube channel "Terra Germania"
Two weeks ago we ventured on the last field trip of the 2017 excavation season. The main goal of the three days of hard work was to locate new potential areas for scientific archaeological excavations in 2018.
The work was filmed for the You Tube channel "Terra Germania" by the skilled German metal detectorist Hans v. M. Hans and Lasse found two separate very interesting find areas for us to excavate in 2018. Please click on the link below to see Hans video from Hanko.
We will be back on researching those spots as soon as the snow melts again here in Finland. Please check in here for regular updates if you wish to be part of our scientific research team in the spring and summer of 2018!
Hans filming our work.
Two German "Erkennungsmarke"
We will be back on researching those spots as soon as the snow melts again here in Finland. Please check in here for regular updates if you wish to be part of our scientific research team in the spring and summer of 2018!
Hans and Lasse in Hanko.
Tuesday, 17 October 2017
JFArchaeology planned community archaeology excavations in 2018
The plans
for our community archaeology excavations in 2018 are advancing rapidly.
It
now seems possible that next year (May-July) me and MA Janne Soisalo will be leading
community archaeology excavations at least in the towns of Helsinki, Porvoo,
Raseborg, Hanko (with Jasmin Gray and Teemu Väisänen), Kimitoön (with Teemu
Väisänen) and Vaasa.
I will
publish more details in my blog as things progress so check out
this blog at least once a week to be ahead of things and
secure your spot at the upcoming excavations.
Monday, 16 October 2017
Back home from Hanko after a great weekend documenting a couple of WW2 war graves and exploring "Durchgangslager Hangö".
I guess the 2017 field season is soon over here in Finland. Last weekend it was time for the last leg of fieldwork in Hanko S. Finland were this time we documented a WW2 Soviet war grave and filmed the excavations and detecting of "Durchgangslager Hangö" prior to the large scale excavations of the site in the summer of 2018.
There still are forgotten WW2 war graves in Hanko and on Saturday we visited and documented one of them as part of the upcoming conflict archaeology project "Hangö 1940-41". No digging at this site of course but it became quite clear that six Soviet soliers were buried here in 1941. The buried wre possibly victims of an artillery barrage against their dugouts in the summer of 1941.
At "Durchgangslager Hangö" we located and documented a few very interesting areas prior to the community archaeology excavations in June/July 2018. Especially one of the areas proved very promising with lots of German WW2 finds made outr of a variety of different materials.
Last view of "Durchgangslager Hangö" in 2017.
There still are forgotten WW2 war graves in Hanko and on Saturday we visited and documented one of them as part of the upcoming conflict archaeology project "Hangö 1940-41". No digging at this site of course but it became quite clear that six Soviet soliers were buried here in 1941. The buried wre possibly victims of an artillery barrage against their dugouts in the summer of 1941.
Soviet 5 Kopek coin (1930)
The field burial site of six unknown Soviet soldiers.
At "Durchgangslager Hangö" we located and documented a few very interesting areas prior to the community archaeology excavations in June/July 2018. Especially one of the areas proved very promising with lots of German WW2 finds made outr of a variety of different materials.
"Kriegsmarine" button and 10 "Pfennig" coin.
German uniform button with makers mark and the text "BESONDERS HALTBAR".
German "Erkennungsmarke" (dogtags).
Our hard work was filmed by the well known German metal detectorist Hans v. M. for his YouTube channel "Metal Detecting Germany (Terra Germania)". Have to say I´m very much looking forward to seeing this episode from Hanko, Finland soon :)
Hans filming in "Durchgangslager Hangö".
Monday, 9 October 2017
"Durchgangslager Hangö", last field trip of the 2017 excavation season!
It´s been a very rainy autumn here in Southern Finland but the weather seems to clear up for the weekend. It´s time to have a last look at the German transition camp before the winter sets in.
During three days (13.10-15.10.2017) me, Mr. Lasse Nyman and Hans v. M. from Germany will make a serious effort to try to search through a couple of very promising and hitherto unexplored areas of the German transition camp as well as the "Lotta-Svärd Kantine" area of the camp.
We will also make limited trial excavations with a team of experienced amateur archaeologists during the weekend. The trial excavations willl be of use when deciding were to place the large scale excavations in the summer of 2018.
Field made ring found almost exactly one year ago.
During three days (13.10-15.10.2017) me, Mr. Lasse Nyman and Hans v. M. from Germany will make a serious effort to try to search through a couple of very promising and hitherto unexplored areas of the German transition camp as well as the "Lotta-Svärd Kantine" area of the camp.
Finnish Lottas in Durchgangslager Hangö in the summer of 1942.
We will also make limited trial excavations with a team of experienced amateur archaeologists during the weekend. The trial excavations willl be of use when deciding were to place the large scale excavations in the summer of 2018.
Amateur archaeologists and archaeology student Teemu Väisänen at work in October 2016.
Sunday, 10 September 2017
The 2017 field season isn´t over yet!
Upcoming community archaeology excavations under my supervision in 2017.
Raseborg Långåmossarna 7-8.10.2017.
Back to the stone-age with Karis Hembygdsförening and Sällskapet Natura. If you wish to participate please read and contact.
http://karis.hembygd.fi/foreningen/
"Durchgangslager Hangö" 3.10.2017 and 13-15.10. 2017.
WW2 conflict archaeology with Teemu Väsisänen and highschool students 3.10.2017 and Hans von Mitzlaff and Lasse Nyman 13-15.10. Please contact me if you would like to help out in either of these two excavations.
Raseborg Långåmossarna 7-8.10.2017.
Back to the stone-age with Karis Hembygdsförening and Sällskapet Natura. If you wish to participate please read and contact.
http://karis.hembygd.fi/foreningen/
"Durchgangslager Hangö" 3.10.2017 and 13-15.10. 2017.
WW2 conflict archaeology with Teemu Väsisänen and highschool students 3.10.2017 and Hans von Mitzlaff and Lasse Nyman 13-15.10. Please contact me if you would like to help out in either of these two excavations.
Saturday, 19 August 2017
The "Deutsches Lager" Exhibition in Helsinki NOW 18.8-10.9.2017
Poetic
Archaeology is a group that brings together the expertise of an artist (Jan
Kaila), a photographer (Japo Knuutila) and an archaeologist (Jan Fast).
The
research project is coordinated by the doctoral programme of the Academy of
Fine Arts, and in this exhibition we get to see the results of their project
Deutsches Lager – Inside and Beside the Camp. Using an innovative combination
of artistic and scientific methodologies, the three researchers have studied a
transit camp of the German army that used to be located in Tulliniemi, Hanko,
in 1942–1944, both in collaboration and individually.
The camp
was used by soldiers in transit to Lapland and back to Germany, and traces of
the life in the camp can be found along a hiking trail that was recently opened
in Tulliniemi. There are, for example, three barracks, which provide a still
picture into the life during the Second World War.
Numerous artefacts have also been uncovered in the archaeological digs in the area.
Numerous artefacts have also been uncovered in the archaeological digs in the area.
Thursday, 10 August 2017
Tule mukaan kivikautisen asuinpaikan kaivauksille!
Vielä mahtuu mukaan Kemiönsaaren myöhäiskivikautisen
asuinpaikan kaivauksille (Ölmosviken 21-27.8.2017).
Tervetuloa mukaan kaivauksille Kemiönsaareen.
Ilmoittautumiset "Kimitoöns Vuxeninstitut" ennen
14.8.2017.
Tiedustelut
Tuesday, 8 August 2017
Well preserved stone age grave unearthed near Lake Burtnieks, Latvia!
The remains
of a prehistoric fisherman have been unearthed at the source of the Salaca
river by Lake Burtnieks.
Photo from the University of Latvia FB page.
"The
deceased had been given a fish meal to accompany him, as testified to by a fish
bone layer around the skull. It's known that this place was very suitable for
fishing and gathering freshwater mussels as the settlement has food remains
from its former inhabitants, mostly fish bones and the shells of freshwater
mussels," says archaeologist Valdis Bērziņš.
Photo from the University of Latvia FB page.
The remains
were found at the Riņņukalns site, a unique North European Stone Age settlement
that may help to shed light on the way people lived around 4,000 years before
the common era.
Photo from the University of Latvia FB page.
Bērziņš
says that currently archaeologists are digging up the deepest layers of the
settlement to find out when people first started living at this site and how
their lifestyle changed over time. There's a
bonfire site located just by the grave and it could be related to funerary
rituals as it contains red ocher, often used for funerary purposes, as well as
shards of earthenware dishes.
Archaeologist Valdis Bērziņš (Photo LETA).
Sunday, 6 August 2017
We have started building the Poetic Archaeology exhibition "Deutsches Lager"
Tomorrow we will start work on the border crossing, scientific "Poetic Archaeology" exhibition (Jan Kaila-Japo Knuutila-Jan Fast: Deutsches Lager). The exhibition will open up for the general public in central Helsinki on August 18th 2017.
I´m feeling both motivated and exited at the moment. Stay tuned for regular posts on our work on this exhibition here.
The project also documents the different historical layers of the German WW2 transition camp.
Photo Jan Kaila/Japo Knuutila.
I´m feeling both motivated and exited at the moment. Stay tuned for regular posts on our work on this exhibition here.
Archaeological, hygiene related German WW2 finds from Hanko. Photo Japo Knuutila.
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