Today we did a full 15 hours of hard work in trying to locate the lost grave of 13 Soviet soldiers killed during fierce fighting on a tiny skerry off Hanko in late July 1941. While we didn´t find the exact location of the massgrave I´m convinced that we will finish the job later this year.
Part of todays hard work. Original archive picture by courtesy of an important contributor to the Hanko 1941 project who wishes to remain anonymous, colour photo from todays fieldwork by BA Aleksi Rikkinen and "now and then edit" by MA Jan Fast.
Modern conflict archaeology of war graves is teamwork at it´s very best. Without the help of a multitude of experts and talented archive and oral tradition researchers an archaeologist like me would be left totally in the dark. As many of you who help us out wish to remain anonymous I will try to express my deepest gratitude in the form of this post and this picture that capture what I feel is the essence of our work.
And last but not least our work is about people lost. Trying to find out their names and stories so that the devastation nature of a world will never be forgotten. Every soldier despite of his or her nationality deserves a grave and a name.
Monday 25 May 2020
Tuesday 19 May 2020
On the road again
The Covid 19 situation over here in Finland forced us to rearrange the 2020 community archeology excavation season. Despite the harsh times it seems that we will finally be able to get out there again on June 22nd :)
JFA road map for 2020
All excavations will this year be carried out as a trial excavation
with every participant having their own small excavation area at a safe
distance from the other participants. Special
attention is also paid to hygiene and other issues during the excavation and every
participant has his own personal excavation equipment during the excavation.
Saturday 16 May 2020
The stone-age seascape of Vantaa
Prior to the upcoming community archaeology excavations in Jokiniemi, Vantaa S. Finland I thought you might like to take a look at this very nice animation of the land upheaval and shoreline displacement in Vantaa. Please click on the link below the photo to access the animation!
The changing shoreline of Vantaa (by Jussi Kinnunen/Geonautica)
The animation was made by Vantaa City Museum for the "River" (Joki-Kivikaudesta Kaljakelluntaan) exhibition 2015-2016.
Thursday 7 May 2020
First WW2 conflict archaeology fieldwork tomorrow
Finally, tomorrow, at least something happening on the "Hanko 1941" front when me and Mr Lasse Nyman will kick off the first leg of the painstaking work of documenting the area of the former WW2 Prisoner of War Camp number 7 (Sova 7) located in Raseborg S. Finland.
Soviet prisoners of war captured on the Hanko-front before beeing moved to a prisoner of war camp. Photo from 1941. SA-kuva.
After this we will visit Kek 18 or the site of the former evacuation center (morgue) of fallen Scandinavian and Finnish soldiers on the Hanko Front. The building which so much tragic history was demolished in the 1990´s but otherwise the area is very much as it was in 1941.
Kek 18. The body of the fallen Danish volunteer Jörgen Hagemann is lifted into the awaiting car. Now and then photo Jan Fast/SA-kuva.
Last but not least we will inspect and document a recently found cairn in Raseborg. This may even be an iron- or bronze-age grave but let´s see.
Wednesday 6 May 2020
COVID 19 ja muutokset kesän JFA 2020 yhteisöarkeologisten kaivausten aikatauluissa
JFA yleisökaivaukset 2020
(muutosehdotukset/muuttuneet päivämäärät vihreällä)
Koska monet ovat tiedustelleet kesän harrastajakaivausten tilannetta niin tässä päivitetty lista
kaivauspaikoista. Kaivausten järjestäjien sivuilta löytyy lisätietoja ilmoittautumistilanteesta yms.
Kaivauksilla suoritetaan näillä näkymin päämuotoisesti koekaivauksina, joissa koekuoppien
etäisyydet toisistaan ovat turvallisuusmääräysten mukaiset.
Myös kaivaushygieniaan yms. kiinnitetään
erityistä huomiota.
Espoo, Kläppkärr, kivikautinen asuinpaikka
22. - 27.6.2020 (ma - la)
Lisätiedot Esbo Arbetarinstitut.
Vantaa Jokiniemi, kivikautinen asuinpaikka - Kaivaus järjestetään suunnitellusti
8. - 12.7.2020 (ke - su).
Lisätideot Helsingin Seudun Kesäyliopisto.
13. - 25.7.2020 (ma-pe, 2 x 5 arkipäivää).
Lisätiedot Hangö Sommaruni.
31.7. - 2.8.2020 (pe - ma).
Lisätiedot Karis Hembygdsförening.
Porvoo Vävarsbacka, kivikautinen asuinpaikka - Kaivaus siirtynyt
5. - 9.8.2020 (ke - su).
Lisätiedot Borgå Medborgarinstitut.
12.8. - 16.8.2020 (ke - su).
Lisätiedot Kirkkonummen Kansalaisopisto.
17. - 23.8.2020 (ma – su).
Lisätiedot Jan Fast.
28. - 30.8.2020 (pe - su).
Lisätiedot Kouvolan Kansalaisopisto.
Hanko 1941, toisen maailmansodan aikainen kohde - Kaivaus järjestetään suunnitellusti
31.8. - 4.9.2020 (ma - pe).
Lisätiedot Hangö Sommaruni.
Lohja Kittiskoski E - Kaivaus järjestetään suunnitellusti
18. - 22.9.2020 (pe - ti).
Lisätiedot Hiiden Opisto.
Tampere, Annisto - Kaivaus siirtynyt aikavälille
1. - 7.10.2020.
Lisätiedot Jan Fast.
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