The JFA 2021 field season has started

THIS year we will be excavating mainly stone age and second world war sites. In all 21 separate excavations will be carried out by us between May and October 2021. All of the excavations are community archaeology excavations and six of these include pedagogic archaeology with local schools.

Although most of the excavations are already fully booked there are a few spots left on a couple of the digs. Please contact the arrangers as soon as possible, no previous knowledge of archaeology is required!

Kirkkonummi, Kolsarby 9.6. - 13.6.2021

Excavation of a late neolithic dwelling site. 

https://opistopalvelut.fi/kirkkonummi/course.php?l=fi&t=8619

Hanko 1941 project 12.7. - 16.7.2021 and 19.7. - 23.7.2021

Battlefield archaeology excavations of the Hanko front

https://hangosommaruni.fi/studieprogram/22-kurser/ovriga-kurser/arkeologi/66-konfliktarkeologi

Lohja Kittiskoski E 4.9. - 19.9.2021

Excavation of a neolithic dwelling site

https://opistopalvelut.fi/hiidenopisto/course.php?l=fi&t=10535

The find of a lifetime in Inkoo S. Finland

WORK in a housegarden in Inkoo S. Finland came to an abrupt end when Eija Ström stumbled on an approximately 5000-year old large neolithic flint artefact. The artefact (possibly a knife or an arrow- or spearhead) is some 9 cm:s in length and 3 cm:s at its widest point. The find resembles arrowheads from the so called Typical Comb Ceramic period but is much larger than previous finds in the area.

The beautiful neolithic flint artefact photographed soon after it was found in the housegarden. Photos Eija Ström.

The find spot is situated approximately 30 meters above present day sea level which might indicate that it was lost on dry land a couple of meters above the stone age seashore. Whether or not the find indicates a stone age dwelling site is however still unclear. An inspection of the find site by the experienced archaeologist from Länsi-Uudenmaan Museo is scheduled for next week.

The find spot in the housegarden in Inkoo. Photos Eija Ström.

The raw material is probably of eastern origin although it can´t be ruled out that the artefact is made of Scandinavian flint (archaeologist Mikael Manninen via FB). The nearest flint occurances are situated hundreds of kilometers from the find site. There are two alternative explanations of how flint arrived in Finland during the Neolithic. It was either brought to the area by individuals who could personally get hold of it from natural sources. The other theory is that flint was procured and used by several different individuals and distributed by exchange networks over long periods of time (Hertell & Tallavaara 2011, p. 12).

Video of the find:

https://www.facebook.com/597552675/videos/10157817618107676/

Further reading: 

Esa Hertell & Miikka Tallavaara 2011    High Mobility or Gift Exchange – Early Mesolithic Exotic Chipped Lithics in Southern Finland. In Mesolithic Interfaces. 

In Variability in Lithic Technologies in Eastern Fennoscandia, p. 11-41. Publisher: The Archaeological Society of Finland. Editor: Tuija Rankama.         

http://www.sarks.fi/masf/masf_1/MI_01_Hertell_Tallavaara.pdf                                     

JATULI ry järjestää yleisökaivauksen Lappeenrannan Murheistenrannan kivikautisella asuinpaikalla ma 6.9 - ma 13.9.2021.

KAIVAUKSEN tarkoitus on osallistujien tutustuttaminen arkeologiaan ja sen harrastamiseen. Sen tutkimuksellisena tavoitteena on tarkentaa ja varmistaa onko asuinpaikalla sijaitseva rantavalli Vuoksen synnyn aikainen ja varmistaa vallin alta löytyvien saviastianpalojen ajoitus.

Kampakeramiikkaa Murheistenrannan kivikautisella asuinpaikalla. Kuva Matti Hakulinen.

Asuinpaikalla aikaisemmin suoritetuissa kaivauksissa (2009, 2010 ja 2012) alueelta on löydetty runsaasti isokokoisia tyypillisen kampakeramiikan aikaisia saviastioiden palasia. Erikoista on se, että löytöjä on myös Vuoksen syntyä edeltäneen rantavallin alta (joidenkin käsitysten mukaan tyypillinen kampakeramiikka saapui Saimaan rannoille vasta Vuoksen synnyn jälkeen).

Lumi peittää Murheistenrannan kivikautisen suinpaikan.

Kaivausta johtaa arkeologi Leena Salonen. Tervetuloa kaivamaan Saimaan hiekkarannalle!

 

Tiedustelut:

Arkeologi Leena Salonen puh. 040 848 0750

Anne Pesu puh. 040 5689 747

Matti Hakulinen puh. 0400 158374

The Traces of War near You 2021 - Sodan Jäljet Lähelläsi 2021

The start of the project was delayed because of the Pandemic but today In was finally able to start lecturing about WW2 Conflict and Battlefield Archaeology to school children ages 12 and up.

 

During spring and autumn of 2021 I will lecture about our work on the Second World War battlefronts of the Hanko front to 50 schools in the Usimaa region. The "Sodan Jäljet Lähelläsi" project is financed by Suomen Kulttuurirahasto and the lectures in Finnish, Swedish and English are free of charge to the schools! 

Community archaeology excavation of a stone-age dwelling site on Åland coming up in 2021

Ever since I was a young archaeology student in 1987 I have dreamed of excavating a stone-age dwelling site on the Åland islands. Now one is scheduled for July 26th throuh July 30th 2021!

Picture from the excavations of the stone-age dwelling site at Jettböle in 1911. The excavation revealed many well preserved human remains. Photo Björn Cederhvarf

The whole idea of conducting a community archaeology excavation on the islands started in the autumn of 2019 when me and my colleague Janne Soisalo visted Åland and met with local archaeologists Jenni Lucenius and Niklas Stenbäck for a couple of days. Janne is currently working on his PhD about the late neolithic "Kiukais culture" and in this aspect the finds from the Åland islands are very interesting indeed. During our visit both Jenni and Niklas were extremely friendly and showed us around the exiting stone-age dwelling sites especially in the areas around Jomala and Långbergsöda .

Three archaeologists visiting the Långbergsöda stone-age dwelling site area in the rain (left to right Niklas Stenbäck, Janne Soisalo and Jan Fast).

In the autumn of 2020 i contacted the local adult education centre MEDIS (to ask them if the would be interested in organizing a community archeology field course in archaeology on the islands in 2021. The answer was an overwhelming yes! After some very good communication with Jenni the date for the excavation was set to 26-30.7.2021 and the maximum number of participants per day to 20. Children under 14 years of age are allowed to participate but only if accompanied by an adult.

Late neolithic pitted Ware rimsherd from Åland. Photo Jan Fast.

Yesterday Jenni informed me that registration for the excavation had started and today I learned that the excavation already had 16 participants in all. What a success!! Now Jenni has started looking for a suitable place for us to excavate and we hope we will find one during the upcoming month. It is important that the excavation will be located in a scientifically interesting location worthy of publication. We also wish that the excavation can help protect the site in the future.

Archaeologist Jenni Lucenius is working on finding the best spot possible for the upcoming community archaeology excavation

Needless to say both me and Janne are very exited but also very humble to have been granted this unique opportunity to conduct archaeological excavations on the beautiful Åland islands. Let´s hope this will only be the beginning of community archaeology here. Please follow our research on FB by clicking on the link below.

Discover the stone-age of Åland

JFA toisen maailmansodan arkeologiaa 2021

 Toisen maailmansodan sota-arkeologiaa - WW2 battlefield archaeology

1.  Hanko 1941 projekti huhtikuu 2021        

Sotavainajaprojekti yhteistyössä Sotavainajien muiston vaalimisyhdistys ry:n ja Venäjän suurlähetystön kanssa.  Poikkitieteellinen tutkimusryhmä, ei ilmoittautumista!                                                                                           

 

2. Hanko 1941 ja "Durchgangslager Hanko 1942-1944" projektit 5.5. - 9.5.2021 (ke-su)

Hangon toisen maailmansodan sota-arkeologiaa m.m. Kabanovin bunkkeri.

Järj. Hangö Sommaruni. Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

 

3. Hanko 1941 projekti 10.5. - 13.5.2021 (ma-to)

Sotavainajaprojekti yhteistyössä Sotavainajien muiston vaalimisyhdistys ry:n ja Venäjän suurlähetystön kanssa. Poikkitieteellinen tutkimusryhmä, ei ilmoittautumista!

 

4. Hanko 1941 ja "Durchgangslager Hanko 1942-1944" projektit 12.7-16.7.2021 (ma-pe)

Hangon maarintama.

Järj. Hangö Sommaruni yhteistyössä Hangon rintamamuseon kanssa. Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

 

5.  Hanko 1941 ja "Durchgangslager Hanko 1942-1944" projektit 19.7-23.7.2021 (ma-pe)

Hangon maarintaman taistelupaikka-arkeologiaa.

Järj. Hangö Sommaruni yhteistyössä Hangon rintamamuseon kanssa. Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/364312290705639

https://www.hanko1941.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1392847977683622

 

 

JFA kivikauden arkeologiaa harrastajille v. 2021

Kivikauden arkeologiaa - Archaeology of the Stone Age 

1. Espoo, Monikko 20. - 23.5.2021 (to-su)

Kaivaus on loppuunvarattu.

Järj. Leppävaara seura            

 

2. Raasepori, Malmkulla 27. - 30.5.2021 (to-su)

Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

Järj. Karis Hembygdsförening ja Sällskapet Natura.

                                                                                   

3. Porvoo, Vävarsbacka 2. - 6.6.2021 (ke-su)

Kaivaus on loppuunvarattu mutta voit ilmoittautua varasijoille.

Järj. Borgå Medborgarinstitut.

 

4. Kirkkonummi, Kolsarby 9.6. - 13.6.2021 (ke-su)

Ilmoittautuminen käynnissä muutamia paikkoja vielä jäljellä!

Järj. Kyrkslätts Medborgarinstitut.

 

5. Turku, Jäkärlä 16.6. - 20.6.2021 (ke-su)

Kaivaus on loppuunvarattu mutta voit ilmoittautua varasijoille.

Järj. Åbo svenska arbetarinstitut.

 

6. Espoo, Kläppkärr 28.6 - 3.7.2021 (ma-la)

Kaivaus on loppuuvarattu mutta voit ilmoittautua varasijoille.

Järj. Esbo Arbetarinstitut.

 

7. Vantaa, Jokiniemi 7. - 11.7.2021 (ke-su)

Kaivaus on loppuunvarattu mutta voit ilmoittautua varasijoille.

Järj. Helsingin seudun kesäyliopisto.

 

8. Ahvenanmaa 26.7. - 30.7.2021 (ma-pe)

Puhelinilmoittautuminen käynnissä (puh. 531 620).

Järj. Medis (Ålands Medborgarinstitut)                                                                             

 

9. Kemiönsaari, Ölmosviken 9.8 – 17.8.2021

Ennakkoilmoittautumisia otetaan vastaan.

jfarchaeology@gmail.com

Ei osallistumismaksua! Tutkimusrahoitus/väitöskirjatutkimus.

 

10. Kouvola Ruskiasuo 21.8.-22.8. ja 27.8.-29.8.2021 

(koululaiskaivaus 23-26.8.2021)

Ilmoittautuminen alkaa elokuussa 2021! Koululaiskaivaus vain Elimäen koulujen oppilaille.

Järj. Kouvolan kansalaisopisto ja projektirahoitus.

 

11. Lohja Kittiskoski E  4.9.-5.9 ja 18.9-19.9.2021 

(koululaiskaivaus 6.9. – 10.9.2021 ja 13.9 – 17.9.2021)

Ilmoittautuminen alkaa huhtikuussa. Koululaiskaivaus vain Lohjan seudun koulujen oppilaille.

Järj. Hiiden opisto ja projektirahoitus.

Practicing our social media skills prior to the 2021 field season

In my younger years in the late 1970´s and way before I knew anything about archaeology I was a punkrocker. So a couple of days ago I got an idea for a new logo that would resonate my past ;)

JFArchaeology will be conducting many community archaeology excavations during the upcoming (2021) field season. Next year we will be trying out several new approaches when communicating our research over social media and winter is a good time to practise these skills.

One thing I´m very interested in is getting pictures of finds as they come out of the ground and live videos fom the digs distributed over the internet. Let´s hope we get funding for this during the upcoming months. 

If you have similar interests or would like to help us out with this please contact us via email at jan.fast@helsinki.fi.

Vantaan Jokiniemen kivikautisen asuinpaikan kaivaus varattiin täyteen ennätysajassa!

 

Varasijoille voi ilmoittautua ainakin vielä tämän viikonlopun ajan.

Ilmoittautuminen Vantaan Jokiniemen v. 2021 arkeologiselle kaivaukselle alkaa huomenna 1.12.2020 klo 8.00!

Vantaalla sijaitsee yksi Uudenmaan hienoimmista ja runsaslöytöisimmistä kivikautisista asuinpaikoista. Aikaisemmissa kaivauksissa alueelta on löytynyt useita ainutlaatuisia ihmiskasvoisia 5500 vuotta vanhoja savi-idoleita. 

Kaivauksen järjestää Helsingin Seudun Kesäyliopisto.

Ilmoittaudu täällä!

Fresh pictures from the newly found stone-age dwelling site in Espoo!

Today both archaeologist Janne Soisalo and the finder had an opportunity to visit the newly found stone-age dwelling site in Leppävaara Espoo (S. Finland). During the early comb ceramic period the dwelling site was situated on a small level cape close to the seashore. Due to the land uplift the area were the finds where located is now approximately 25-30 m:s above sea level. The area was also suitable for habitation during the corded ware culture.

The sea level 7000 years ago. The approximate location of the newly found dwelling site is marked in red. Map by courtesy of Espoo City Museum.

Sadly the site has been badly damaged by a ski track but we remain cautiously optimistic that at least the uppermost part of it might still contain some information about when people used  the site.

Panoramic picture of the scarred site. Photo Jemina Rajamäki 19.11.2020.

In order to asssess the status of this intriguing site a trial excavation of the site will be arranged in August 2021. Registration to this will begin shortly.

Wiew towards North (the site is to the right). Photo Jemina Rajamäki 19.11.2020.

                            Wiew towards the south (the site is to the left). Photo Jemina Rajamäki 19.11.2020.

Previously unknown stone-age dwelling site found in Leppävaara, Espoo S. Finland!

In the midst of the November darkness a bright ray of light in the form of a discovery of a previously unknown stone-age dwelling site in Leppävaara Espoo  part of the larger Helsinki region!

Leppävaara is a suburb in Espoo or actually more like the second centre of the town. It´s quite amazing that despite the very large scale construction work in the area signs of the 6000 year old stone age settlements in the area are still to be found in 2020.

The previously unknown stone age site was found by "Jemppa" Rajamäki. A very gifted amateur archaeologist who has participated in community archaeology excavations with me and MA Janne Soisalo for a couple of years already.

Jemppa knows what she´s doing so she just photographed the quarts flake finds in situ and immediately reported them to us. JFArchaeology will make a trial excavation of the new site with financial support from the local community in 2021. Stay tuned for more pictures tomorrow.

Jokiniemi 2021 excavation. Registration starts December 1st 2020!

Christmas came early in 2020! 

Now it´s official, the registration to the 2021 excavation of the Jokiniemi neolithic dwelling site starts in just a little under one months time!

Because of the special nature of the site the number of participants has been limited to 20 persons/week! Please read more about the excavation by clicking on the link below! 

If you have questions in English or Swedish please email us at jfarchaeology@gmail.com.

https://kesayliopistopalvelut.fi/helsinginseutu/course.php?l=fi&t=2136

Jokiniemi 2021 - More info on how, where and when to register tomorrow!

Act fast and don´t miss out on this exciting neolithic stone age excavation only 15 km:s from Helsinki City Center next summer!! The maximum  number of participants is limited to 20 participants/week!

The 2021 excavation of this remarkable site is organized by Helsinki Summer University.

JFArchaeology community archaeology excavations in 2021 - Yhteisöarkeologisia kaivauksia kenttätyökaudella 2021

The planning of next years community archaeology excavations are well under way and we are happy to announce the dates for the 2021 digs. Keep on checking out this site for regular updates and information about when and how to register!

Please send a letter of interest to jfarchaeology@gmail.com if you want more information of the 2021 excavation season in English, German or Swedish. 

Stay safe and see you soon!

Jan Fast and Janne Soisalo

WW2 battlefield Archaeology - Toisen maailmansodan sota-arkeologiaa 

Järj. Hangö Sommaruni ja Hangon Rintamamuseo yhteistyössä sotavainajien muiston vaalimisyhdistys ry:n ja Venäjän suurlähetystön kanssa. Osassa tutkimuksia projektirahoitus.

-  Hanko 1941 projekti  huhtikuu 2021         

Sotavainajaprojekti.  Tutkimusryhmä, ei ilmoittautumista!                                                                                            

- Hanko 1941 projekti 5.5. - 9.5.2021 (la-to)

Kenraali Kabanovin korsun kaivaus. Ilmoittautuminen on alkanut.

Järj. Hangö Sommaruni

https://hangosommaruni.fi/studieprogram/22-kurser/ovriga-kurser/arkeologi/66-konfliktarkeologi

   

- Hanko 1941 projekti 10.5. - 13.5.2021 (ma-to)

Sotavainajaprojekti. Tutkimusryhmä, ei ilmoittautumista!

- Hanko 1941 projekti  19.7-23.7.2020 (ma-pe)

Hangon maarintama. Ilmoittautuminen on alkanut.

Järj. Hangö Sommaruni

https://hangosommaruni.fi/studieprogram/22-kurser/ovriga-kurser/arkeologi/66-konfliktarkeologi

-  Hanko 1941 projekti 26.7-30.7.2020 (ma-pe)

Hangon maarintama. Ilmoittautuminen on alkanut.

Järj. Hangö Sommaruni

https://hangosommaruni.fi/studieprogram/22-kurser/ovriga-kurser/arkeologi/66-konfliktarkeologi

https://www.facebook.com/groups/364312290705639

https://www.hanko1941.com/

Historical Archaeology - Historiallisen ajan arkeologiaa 

- Tampere Vuores 17-19.5.2021

Projektirahoitus.

Taideprojekti/Pedagoginen koululaiskaivaus yhteistyössä Vuoreksen koulun kanssa.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1162157773969283                                                                                                                  

Archaeology of the Stone Age - Kivikauden arkeologiaa

- Leppävaara, Monikko 20. - 23.5.2021 (to-su)

Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

Järj. Leppävaara seura             

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1045122789289308

- Raasepori, Malmkulla 27. - 30.5.2021 (to-su)

Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

Järj. Karis Hembygdsförening ja Sällskapet Natura.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/471340030090292                                                                                                                   

- Porvoo, Vävarsbacka 2. - 6.6.2021 (ke-su)

Ilmoittautuminen alkaa 7.1.2021!

Järj. Borgå Medborgarinstitut. 

https://www.opistopalvelut.fi/porvoo/course.php?l=fi&h=da796dcc49ab9fc5ac26db17e02a9e33&t=10260                                                                                                               

https://www.facebook.com/groups/181135582548602

- Kirkkonummi, Kolsarby 9.6. - 13.6.2021 (ke-su)

HUOM! Ilmoittautuminen käynnissä muutamia paikkoja vielä jäljellä!

Järj. Kyrkslätts Medborgarinstitut.

https://opistopalvelut.fi/kirkkonummi/course.php?l=fi&t=8619

https://www.facebook.com/groups/417803072513731

- Turku, Jäkärlä 16.6. - 20.6.2021 (to-su)

Kaivaus on loppuuvarattu mutta voit ilmoittautua varasijoille.

Järj. Åbo svenska arbetarinstitut.

https://opistopalvelut.fi/abo/course.php?l=sv&t=2948

https://opistopalvelut.fi/abo/course.php?l=sv&t=2947

- Espoo, Kläppkärr 28.6 - 3.7.2021 (ma-la)

Kaivaus on loppuuvarattu mutta voit ilmoittautua varasijoille.

Järj. Esbo Arbetarinstitut.

https://ilmonet.fi/course/EA210178

https://www.facebook.com/groups/365330554322395

- Vantaa, Jokiniemi 7. - 11.7.2021 (ke-su)

Kaivaus on loppuuvarattu mutta voit ilmoittautua varasijoille.

Järj. Helsingin seudun kesäyliopisto. 

https://kesayliopistopalvelut.fi/helsinginseutu/course.php?l=fi&t=2136

https://www.kesayliopistohki.fi/kurssit/kategoria/avoimet-yleisotilaisuudet-fi/luennot-ja-luentosarjat-fi-02301/?show=future

https://www.facebook.com/Jokiniemi2021

- Ahvenanmaa 26.7. - 30.7.2021 (ma-pe)

Suunnitteluvaiheessa.

Järj. Medis                                                                             

https://www.mariehamn.ax/daghem-skola/medis/

                                                     

- Kemiönsaari, Ölmosviken 9.8 – 17.8.2021

Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

Tutkimusrahoitus/Väitöskirjtutkimus.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/238168100362325                                                                                     

- Kouvola Ruskiasuo 21.8.-29.8.2020

Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

Järj. Kouvolan kansalaisopisto ja projektirahoitus.

Kouvolan kansalaisopiston harrastajille suunnattu kaivaus 21.-22.8.2021 ja 28.-29.8.2021

Koululaiskaivaus 23.8.-27.8.2021    

https://www.facebook.com/groups/618469168576047

                                             

  

- Lohja Kittiskoski E

Ilmoittautuminen ei vielä alkanut.

Järj. Hiiden opisto ja projektirahoitus.

Hiiden opiston harrastajille suunnattu kaivaus 4. - 5.9.2021 ja 11.9. - 12.9.2021 (la-su)

Koululaiskaivaus 6.9. – 10.9.2021

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2551305408222635

A forgotten grave of a German "Kriegsmarine" soldier in the archipelago?

Today an article was published in the local newspaper about the repatriation/reburial of the seven KIA Soviet soldiers discovered near the defensive positions of the 3rd battery of 204th air-defence and artillery division in Hanko Tvärminne. The article produced an interesting phone call from a local elderly man.

"Minensucher-Kriegsabzeichen" found by a local on the Hanko front in the area were the German the German war ship "Brummer" was anchored.

According to him the bodies of seven German soldiers drifted ashore in the archipelago SE of Hanko in the summer of 1941 or 1942. Six of the soldiers were buried on a larger island close to the mainland and the seventh one on a small skerry further out to sea.

A low depression in the ground marks the place of a war grave on the Hanko Front.

The graves of the six soldiers were opened and the bodies moved from the temporary grave site in the summer of 1952 and transported to the nearby town of Ekenäs but the remains are said to have been buried in the churchyard in Pojo. According to the informant the seventh soldiers grave was for some reason left untouched and the soldiers mortal remains are still on the small skerry.

"Sterbebild" with picture of a "Kriegsmarine" soldier killed in the Gulf of Finland.

The story is one of several gathered and investigated in the course of the "Hanko 1941" project. Even though many of the stories can´t be verified as such,  careful archive, cartographic and photographic studies can often offer more information that in due time forms the basis for scientific conflict archaeology fieldwork.

In the rocky soil of the archipelago cairns sometime mark WW2 grave sites.

If you have any knowledge of war graves on the Hanko peninsula please contact us. Every soldier despite of Nationality deserves a name and a decent grave.

 

Reburial ceremony of 7 Soviet soldiers

Today we attended the reburial ceremony of 7 KIA Soviet soldiers that our team found and excavated between 2018 and 2019.  The ceremony was attended by approximately 50+ people and we were welcomed by the Russian ambassador H.E. Mr Pavel Kuznetsov and Deputy Military, Naval and Air Force Attaché Colonel Ivan Gorbachev. Several representatives  from the Embassy of the Russian Federation , the Embassy of Kazakhstan and Belorus attended the impressive and at the same time solemn procession.

The first speaches were held by Governor Pavel Kuznetsov and Mr Pertti Suominen (Sotavainajien muiston vaalimiyhdistys ry) after which I had the opportunity to voice a few words on the benefits of scientific repatriation of war dead and the growing general interest in conflict archaeology in Finland.

When the official ceremony had ended  Ms Zhanna Sartbayeva, the Governor of Kazakhstan initiated a personal and very pleasing discussion with me about the benefits of scientific repatriation of war dead. Ms Sartbayeva showed a very honest appreciation of our work which I of course appreciated very much.

In the afternoon our excavation team gathered at the Hanko Front Museum where I gave a lecture about upcoming battlefield archaeology work in the Hanko and Raseborg archipelago in 2021.

In 1940 and/or 1941 seven very young Soviet soldiers arrived in Hanko S. Finland only to die a year later in the defense of "Gangut" the Soviet naval base in Hanko. When their comerades were evacuated in the late months of 1941 their graves were left without attendance for 78 years. Today they were finally reunited with the other fallen Soviet soldiers of the Hanko front.

For these seven young men the war is finally over. Seven red roses adore their 78 year long (temporary) reconstructed resting place in 2020.

War dead, battlegrounds and more...

02.09.2020 Wednesday (day three).Today we visited one of several scenes of the ferocious battles that raged in the Hanko archipelago in the summer and autumn of 1941. The main reason for our fieldtrip was to gain as much information about the island in question before the large scale battlefield archaeology fieldwork scheduled on the group of islands in 2021.

First off was the site of a grave marker with the text "39 Soviet seamen, died in 1941". The cross could mark a grave somewhere in the vicinity or it could be a cross raised in memory of the fallen. I will return to this mystery in upcoming blog posts.

Next we visited the areas of intense battle on the island all of which will be carefully documented and mapped next spring. This was both exciting and very tragic at the same time as traces of the battle could be observed everywhere despite the 79 years that had passed since the battle took place. It was quite shocking to think about the horrors that took place in this beautiful setting.

The third assignement was to try to locate the traces of an aircraft crash site from 1941. Areas of debris was documented and plotted on a map. We will see what can be done here in 2021 in co-operation with the Finnish Aviation Museum.

The Hanko 1941 team would like to thank the landowner for his co-operation in documenting the WW2 remains. A big thanks to the crew from the Finnish Television (MTV 3) for the professional interviews and filming of our hard work today.