Wednesday 30 April 2014

Swedish archaeologist Anders Wikström to join our WW2 conflict archaeology project tomorrow

After what will be a very calm "Vappu" indeed (thank God  ;) ) I will meet up with Swedish archaeologist Anders Wikström tomorrow at the airport and have a good dinner at my place (roast beef of lamb with creamy garlic potatoes) and a couple of beers ;).

archaeologist Anders Wikström

We will visit the areas of the German transition camp on Friday (2.5.) to do some surveying and above all brainstorming around the project. I´m really looking forward to hearing his views on the archaeology of this very challenging WW2 site.

Below are a few links to his work (LinkedIn) and an article about his archaeological  project in Sigtuna Sweden. Welcome to Finland Anders!




Monday 28 April 2014

WW2 transition camp site revisited today (4. time)

Maybe in the footsteps of Herr General E. Dietl (below) but for sure in the footsteps of prominent high ranking German officers and petty Ukrainan volunteers to the Wehrmacht. I was overwhelmed about the scenery and the differences between the accommodation  areas of  the different units.



This was no time for excavations although I somehow regret not digging this interesting relic (a small stove ) which was found next to a German officers barracks (possibly Dietl´s). Volkswagen made stoves too :)



Sunday 27 April 2014

Fourth visit to the German transition camp area tomorrow.

Things are once again advancing very much according to plan. Tomorrow it will finally be time to document and have a first archaeological look at the more closely protected secrets of the German Transition camp, namely the officers barracks area and the "Ukrainan volunteers camp".

Here it´s all about archaeology as no visible structures remain of the buildings or activities. Once more we are blessed with both good weather and a great positive attitude from the Finnish customs officials who carefully watch over the whole area.



The rumour that general Eduard Dietl might have had a "summer cottage" of his own in the area, might not be true but it is clear he visited the officers area during an inspection of the newly constructed "Lager" in 1942.

As a result:

We will quite literally be walking in the long lost footsteps of the  "Herr General" himself tomorrow. This will certainly be the most exciting moment of our conflict archaeology project at this site so far".


Thursday 24 April 2014

Well written article about our conflict archaeology project in todays newspaper

Very good article about our conflict archaeology project in today´s newspaper. This article is in Swedish. I welcome foreign media to write about the project. If you are interested please contact me at jfarchaeology@gmail.com .


Wednesday 23 April 2014

Hanko conflict archaeology update

Next week we will start mapping the remains of the German officers barracks area or the so called "Stammoffiziersunterkunfte" and "Schwesternunterkunfte" with adjoining "Offiziersspeisesaal".

The area of research on the German map from 1943...

During the visits to the formert transition camp area we will also be making some small scale trial excavations. I´m also looking forward to seeing the area of the "Ukrainer Lager" were the Ukrainan volunteers had their very simple quarters.

and now.

Thursday 17 April 2014

Link to the Alumni FACEBOOK page about the Jokiniemi excavations


I will update here on a regular basis, depending on demand I will also be updating in English. Check it out here!

Frans Hartman (to the left) and Jan Fast instruct a young digger in the basics of archaeological excavation techniques.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Vantaa Jokiniemi revisited 2014

Is finally a reality!


After a break of 20 years the Finnish Science Centre Heureka together with the Alumni of the University of Helsinki did what I had secretly wished them to do for many, many  years.  They successfully kickstarted  new public archaeological excavations of this unique stone age site and with a fresh new approach.




For all the lucky participants of this exclusive one week dig (sold out in just five hours) I have only one thing to say.

Welcome to the fascinating world of archaeology!

"Enjoy every minute"


Jan Fast
Archaeologist MA

Helsingin yliopisto tarjoaa yhteistyössä Tiedekeskus Heurekan ja arkeologi, FM Jan Fastin kanssa yliopiston alumneille ainutlaatuisen mahdollisuuden osallistua arkeologiseen kaivaustyöhön kesällä 2014.



Hyvä alumni,
Helsingin yliopisto tarjoaa yhteistyössä Tiedekeskus Heurekan ja arkeologi, FM Jan Fastin kanssa yliopiston alumneille ainutlaatuisen mahdollisuuden osallistua arkeologiseen kaivaustyöhön kesällä 2014.
Kaivauskohteena oleva Vantaan Jokiniemi on merkittävin ja laajin kampakeraaminen asuinpaikka Etelä-Suomessa.  Jan Fast ja Heureka toteuttivat paikalla ensimmäiset yleisökaivaukset vuosina 1990–1994. Esinelöydöt ovat olleet ensiluokkaisia, mm. savesta muotoiltuja ihmisfiguureja, palamatonta luuaineistoa (mm. pyöriäinen) ja erittäin monipuolinen kiviesine- ja saviastianpala-aineisto. Heinäkuussa 2014 kaivausten päättymisestä tulee kuluneeksi tasan 20 vuotta.

Ajankohta ja osallistumismaksu
Kaivaukset toteutetaan ajalla 28.7.–3.8.2014 klo 9–16. Jokaiselle päivälle otetaan mukaan 10 alumnia ilmoittautumisjärjestyksessä.  Alaikäraja osallistumiselle on 14 vuotta. 
Osallistumismaksu on 60 euroa, joka sisältää kaivaustyöhön osallistumisen yhden päivän ajan, Jan Fastin ennakkoluennon, ohjeistuksen, työvälineet, lounaan ja pääsylipun Heurekaan kaivauspäivänä. Kaikki kaivauksiin osallistuvat henkilöt ovat kaivauksen aikana vakuutettuja tapaturmien varalta. Maksuohjeet ja oman kaivauspäiväsi ajankohdan ilmoitamme 6.5.2014 sähköpostitse lähetettävässä sähköpostiviestissä.

Osallistumisedellytykset
Osallistuminen kaivauksiin edellyttää läsnäoloa ennakkoluennolla. Luento pidetään torstaina 15.5.2014 klo 18–20 Tiedekeskus Heurekan Auditorio Virtasessa. Luennolla Jan Fast kertoo tarkemmin kaivauksista, aiemmista löydöistä ja tulevan kesän kaivausprojektista sekä antaa pikakoulutuksen kaivaustyöhön osallistuville.
Kaivaustyöhön osallistuminen edellyttää normaalia toimintakykyä ja perusterveyttä. Työasennot voivat olla polvia rasittavia. Kenttätyö ei edellytä aiempaa kokemusta. Kaivauksilla työskennellään säästä riippumatta. Sateen sattuessa alueella on suojakatos.

Ilmoittautuminen
Ilmoittautuminen tällä verkkolomakkeella viimeistään 30.4.
Huomioithan, että ilmoittautuminen on sitova, ja mukaan mahtuu noin 70 nopeinta. Jokaisesta kaivauksille haluavasta tulee täyttää oma ilmoittautumislomake. Mikäli haluat ilmoittaa itsesi lisäksi mukaan perheenjäseniäsi tai muita henkilöitä täytä heistä omat ilmoittautumislomakkeet.

Lisätietoja
Kaivauksia koskevat kysymykset voi esittää sähköpostitse osoitteella jokiniemenkaivaukset@heureka.fi  tai 15.5.2014 Heurekassa pidettävän ennakkoluennon yhteydessä.
Ilmoittautumiseen liittyvät kysymykset sähköpostilla johanna.maenpaa@helsinki.fi. Valitettavasti emme pysty vastaamaan puhelintiedusteluihin.

Lämpimästi tervetuloa mukaan osallistumaan harvinaiseen kaivaustutkimustyöhön!
Terveisin,
Arkeologi Jan Fast
Elämysjohtaja Mikko Myllykoski, Tiedekeskus Heureka
Alumnikoordinaattorit Riitta-Ilona Hurmerinta ja Johanna Mäenpää, Helsingin yliopisto

Ps. Tiedekeskus Heureka juhlii 25-vuotissyntymäpäiviään 26.–29.4. Tarjolla on työpajoja, erikoisesityksiä ja ohjelmia. Esimerkiksi K-18 Aikuisten ilta la 26.4. klo 18–21, jolloin tarjolla mm. Molekyylidrinksulogiaa-työpaja, suurnopeuskamerakuvausta, Michael Bradken matemaattiset musiikkishowt, ”speed dating” tutkijoiden kanssa, pop-up-tiedeteatteri, professori Anu Hopia johdattelee Cocktailien tieteeseen, planetaariossa psykedeelinen Sonic Vision, jossa mukana mm. U2, David Bowie, Radiohead ja David Bowie. Kaikki näyttelyt avoinna koko illan ajan. Sisäänpääsy 15 euroa, Veikkauksen kortilla 5 euron alennus.

*****
Sait tämän viestin, koska olet rekisteröitynyt Helsingin yliopiston maksuttomaan Alumnikampus-verkkopalveluun. Lisätietoja alumnitoiminnasta verkkosivuilla jaFacebookissa.

Next a visit to the "Stammofiziersunterkunfte" and a few more excavation finds for you to enjoy!

I´m cleaning and cataloging the excavation finds and as part of the work I´m also taking photos of some of the finds. I thought I´d post a few pictures here along with regular updates about the project. The items below which are of course just a few of all the items recovered yesterday were found in the immediate vicinity of the "Lotta Kantine" in the German barracks area.

 Finnish coin from 1941 

 Cartridge shells
 Re-used toothbrush handle (possible from the time the area was a Sovjet prisoner of war camp?

Next me and Swedish archaeologist Anders Wikström will make a field trip to the more remote parts of  the enormous transition camp area that haven´t been seen for at least 50 + years. It´s an area were the officers resided and should include the remains of the "Offiziers Speisesaal" the "Stammoffiziersunkunft" and the "Schwesternunterkunfte" as well as the remains of the "Soldatenkino". I´m really looking forward to that!

Monday 14 April 2014

First excavation day

Finally!

And what a day it was. The day started out early for all of us archaeologists heading for Hanko and the first trial excavation of this large WW2 site. We teamed up with student Rafael Jern in Ekenäs and about an hour later with "my right hand man" in Hanko.



We used a metal detector for general surveying and dug archaeological test pits on a few of the more interesting parts in the area. Almost immediately it became obvious that we could only achieve scientific results if we combined the two methods. First metal detecting and then digging or vice versa.



Although we were able to locate some interesting areas of activity inside the quaranteen and delousing area of the camp the best thing came last (as always) as we managed to locate the area of the Finnish Lotta -Kantine of which no visible trace could be seen over ground.


According to the multitude of WW2 finds recovered this area area looks to have been in the center of things 1942-1944 when thousands and thousands of German soldiers passed through the area.

German tunic button with makers mark recovered from the "Küche" area



Sunday 13 April 2014

A time to dig

Although the documentation of  "Deutschen Lager Hanko 1942-1944" is still far from complete, we are forced to make some trial- and rescue excavations of the site starting tomorrow. Focus will be on areas around two of the "Mannschaftsbaracken" that will be bulldozed in a couple of days. 



The weather looks very fair for Finland and especially for mid April and we feel very privileged  and excited to be able to start archaeological fieldwork so early in the season. Below is a picture of the beach S of the research area in summer.



Friday 11 April 2014

Documentation day (filming the WW2 transition camp site)


Thanks to Axa Sorjanen and YLE Finland for lending us the great equipment that really helped us in our work today ! While filming the site we managed to find a few previously unknown structures including the camp kitchen and some wells. The first trial excavations will take place next monday!

The gear.
One of the "Mannschafts Baracken" then and now.
Sign on the wall in the "Washbaracke"
Window posts
Half of another of the "Mannschafts Baracken"
The door post to the "Entlausungsdorf"

Thursday 10 April 2014

The archaeology of "The Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III

The movie "The Great Escape" featuring Steve McQueen was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Not a very realistic movie I was told by my father at the time but I was very young and didn´t care too much about these kind of  issues back then :)



Here´s a nice documentary covering the archaeological fieldwork (2011) of  this dramatic site. Another example of how archaeology can add to and illustrate the real history of WW2!




Links to a few articles about the dig:

Wednesday 9 April 2014

"Deutschen Lager Hanko" project starting tomorrow

Feeling exited. After acquiring all the necessary permits and meeting up with all the involved authorities the archaeological excavation of the WW2 German transition camp is finally a reality. The first trial excavations and surveys of this large and complex site will take place 10.4.-14.4.2014. The archaeological work  will be part of a larger study of the position of the city and larger Hanko area in WW2 and is to start in full in the summer of 2015. 


I stumbled upon this great lecture by Tony Pollard over Youtube and would like to share it here. It discusses some key issues regarding conflict- and battlefield archaeology and making documentaries about the subject:




Saturday 5 April 2014

WW2 conflict archaeology in Finland

As some of You fellow archaeologists may have already noticed  I have deleted most of my posts regarding my upcoming and scientific WW2 conflict archaeological research in Hanko Finland. The fieldwork is starting soon (maybe already next week) and I just felt my older posts about the project like something of a burden.

From everything bad and sad (like NWD and NatGeo)  always comes something good. Thank You so very much  for Your kind support in keeping up the good work guys (and Dolls) into archaeology. You know who You are! Keep posting!