Meeting my 2014 Jokiniemi excavation team for the first time

Tomorrow I´m giving a lecture at HEUREKA about the excavations of the Jokiniemi stone-age dwelling site from 1990-1994. In the first part of the lecture I will be summing up what we know about life and contacts in the stone-age (ca 6500 BP to ca 5400 BP) after those excavations and what we would like to find out in july/august 2014 when we return to the site after a break of exactly 20 years.

I will also be talking about anthropomorphic clay figurines especially the similarities and the chronology of this one and similar figurines in the Baltic Sea area.

Anthropomorphic clay figurine found in Jokiniemi during the first season of the Heureka excavations (1990). 

Photo Harri Hietala for Heureka the Finnish Science Centre.

In the second part of the lecture I will focus on excavation techniques and other important issues of archaeological fieldwork. I will be happy to answer all possible questions from the 80 or so participants of the upcoming dig. 

Heureka excavations at Jokiniemi in1990. Photo Harri Hietala for Heureka the Finnish Science Centre.

I funny how I feel exactly the same as I did 20+ years ago when I did the same lecture in the same auditorium just before the 1994 dig.  The enthusiasm and excitement is kicking in, can´t wait to dig and see all those happy faces and dirty hands again ;).

Flint arrowhead in a very dirty hand. Photo Harri Hietala for Heureka the Finnish Science Centre.