2020 community archaeology dig @ Vantaa Jokiniemi confirmed

The antropomorphic clay figurine "Tuima" was found in 1989.

In 1989 an amateur archaeologist found an astonishing anthropomorphic 5500 year old clay figurine in Vantaa Jokiniemi. He decided to keep it secret. The find was finally reported 26 years later, and in 2015 the fragile figurine was handed over to the National Heritage Agency.  Despite the importance of the find no archaeological field work has been conducted of the find site.

Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre has been conducting community archaeology excavations on the Jokiniemi site 1990-1994 and 2014-2015.

This will change in July 2020 when Helsinki Summer University and Heureka join forces and arrange a community archaeology trial excavation of the findsite. The excavation will make use of state of the art measuring and other equipment in order to better understand the site as a whole and help protecting it in the future.

Wooden post markin the shore line ca 3000 BC (approx. 21 m above present sea level)

I´m currently in the finishing stage of a 20 page scientific article about the clay figurines found during previous excavations in Jokiniemi. The results from the 2020 excavations will be included in this article scheduled for publication in December 2020.

8.7-12.7.2020 Vantaa Jokiniemi 

Trial excavation of the find site of the anthropomorphic clay figurine "Tuima". 
Helsingin seudun kesäyliopisto/Heureka.
Registration starts soon https://www.kesayliopistohki.fi/en/
Pre registration and letters of interest jfarchaeology@gmail.com

Hanko 1941 new updates on the website

I added some more stuff to the Hanko 1941 webpage. Remember to check in on a regular basis.

Excavating the German WW2 transition camp with Hangö Sommaruni conflict archaeology field school in Hanko 2019.

I hope to have information on next years battlefield archaeology field school soon. If you wish to participate you can send a letter of interest already!

Letter of interest battlefield and conflict archaeology field school

Follow the conflict archaeology project "Hanko 1941" on Internet

I have started work on a web page about the "Hanko 1941" project. Hanko 1941 is a scientific WW2 conflict archaeology project (2018 -2025) that surveys, documents and excavates remains and battlefield locations from 1941 in Hanko S. Finland.

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Finnish soldier on the Hanko Front in the summer of 1941. Photo Bertel Nordenstreng

We work in close association with Sotavainajien Muiston Vaalimisyhdistys r.y. The Russian Embassy in Finland, Hangö Sommaruni, Hanko Museum and Hanko Front Museum. We report our research results to the National Heritage Agency on a regular basis.

Although it is still under construction you can check it out by clicking on the link below.

https://www.hanko1941.com/

JFArchaeology for schools in 2020

Visiting schools to speak about my work as an archaeologist has been a big part of my work since my days at Heureka the Finnish Science Centre in the 1990´s. Today in 2019 and almost 30 years later I feel that communicating scientific archaeology to schoolchildren is as important as it was back then.

Pedagogic archaeology in 1990-1994 with Heureka The Finnish Science Centre. Photo Heureka.

I started doing excavations with schoolchildren first in Raseborg in the early 1990´s and later after 2000 in other towns in Southern Finland as well. There is no better place to teach students about their origins and history than an archaeological excavation. Make no mistake, the young participants know how to dig too!

Archaeology with schools in SW Finland 1992-2020. Photo Västra Nyland.

In 2019 me and my colleague Janne Soisalo, together with Sagalundsgillet rf. organized the biggest excavation with schoolchildren ages 10-12 so far and with some 100 kids participating! The excavation was carried out on the exiting late neolithic dwelling site of Ölmosviken on the island of Kimitoön in SW Finland. The excavation at Ölmosviken will continue in May 2020 once again with funding from The Finnish Cultural Foundation. In 2020 the excavation will reach out to schoolchildren ages 13 and up.

Pedagogic archaeology at Ölmosviken 2018-2020. Photo Jan Fast.

In May we will make another school project, this one in Tampere were the students will investigate the history of the Annisto homestead. This project combines photographic art (Juha Suonpää), history and pedagogy (Marja-Leena Korte-Suonpää), archaeology and responsible metal detecting (Lasse Nyman) to touch all senses and create a unique learning by doing (and feeling) experience.

Archaelogy and history for all senses at Annisto. Photo Marja-Leena Korte-Suonpää.

In the spring of 2020 I will once again tour schools in the larger Helsinki area to speak about archaeology and my work on prehistoric and Second World War sites. Looking forward to it!