Seeing Behind Stray Finds : Understanding the Late Iron Age Settlement of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, Finland
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B 168 OULU 2018 B 168 UNIVERSITY OF OULU P.O. Box 8000 FI-90014 UNIVERSITY OF OULU FINLAND ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS ACTA HUMANIORAB Ville Hakamäki Ville Hakamäki University Lecturer Tuomo Glumoff SEEING BEHIND STRAY FINDS University Lecturer Santeri Palviainen UNDERSTANDING THE LATE IRON AGE SETTLEMENT OF NORTHERN OSTROBOTHNIA Postdoctoral research fellow Sanna Taskila AND KAINUU, FINLAND Professor Olli Vuolteenaho University Lecturer Veli-Matti Ulvinen Planning Director Pertti Tikkanen Professor Jari Juga University Lecturer Anu Soikkeli Professor Olli Vuolteenaho UNIVERSITY OF OULU GRADUATE SCHOOL; UNIVERSITY OF OULU, FACULTY OF HUMANITIES, Publications Editor Kirsti Nurkkala ARCHAEOLOGY ISBN 978-952-62-2093-2 (Paperback) ISBN 978-952-62-2094-9 (PDF) ISSN 0355-3205 (Print) ISSN 1796-2218 (Online) ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS B Humaniora 168 VILLE HAKAMÄKI SEEING BEHIND STRAY FINDS Understanding the Late Iron Age settlement of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, Finland Academic dissertation to be presented with the assent of the Doctoral Training Committee of Human Sciences of the University of Oulu for public defence in the Wetteri auditorium (IT115), Linnanmaa, on 30 November 2018, at 10 a.m. UNIVERSITY OF OULU, OULU 2018 Copyright © 2018 Acta Univ. Oul. B 168, 2018 Supervised by Docent Jari Okkonen Professor Per H. Ramqvist Reviewed by Docent Anna Wessman Professor Nils Anfinset Opponent Professor Janne Vilkuna ISBN 978-952-62-2093-2 (Paperback) ISBN 978-952-62-2094-9 (PDF) ISSN 0355-3205 (Printed) ISSN 1796-2218 (Online) Cover Design Raimo Ahonen JUVENES PRINT TAMPERE 2018 Hakamäki, Ville, Seeing behind stray finds. Understanding the Late Iron Age settlement of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, Finland University of Oulu Graduate School; University of Oulu, Faculty of Humanities, Archaeology Acta Univ. Oul. B 168, 2018 University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland Abstract The dissertation examines the settlement and interactions of the Late Iron Age communities of northern Finland by focusing on the archaeological sites and finds documented in the regions of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu. The point of departure for the study is to understand the data from a local point of view as in the previous evaluations the hunter-gatherer population inhabiting the area has been overlooked with most of the discussions revolving around the peasant influence arriving from southwestern Finland and Karelia. Partially for this reason, the period in question has appeared problematic and many questions regarding the settlement remain unadressed. The reason for the poor research situation articulates with the problems related to the archaeologica remains. Most of the material must be classified as so-called stray finds or archaeological objects to which no context can be determined without excavations taking place. These stray finds comprise the most significant portion of the available data, as besides them only a few burials, dwelling sites or other feasible remains are documented in Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu. In spite of this, the research interest towards these finds has been relatively minor until recent years. The research questions are approached via three case studies, which represent stray finds that were excavated during the research process of the dissertation. These sites are addressed by taking into consideration their form, function and dating as well as examining their archaeological context on a borader geographical scale. In addition to the case studies, the dissertation considers previously known sites and finds in the research area and elsewhere in the interior and northern Fennoscandia. Based on the study, it is argued that several stray finds are associated with burial sites, dwellings and other indicators of settlement whose formation process has likely been affected by local traditions and subsistence as well as contacts and interactions with other Iron Age communities. Keywords: burial practises, interactions, Iron Age, medieval period, settlement patterns, stray finds, transculturalism Hakamäki, Ville, Irtolöytöjen takaa. Tutkimus Pohjois-Pohjanmaan ja Kainuun myöhäsrautakautisesta asutuksesta Oulun yliopiston tutkijakoulu; Oulun yliopisto, Humanistinen tiedekunta, Arkeologia Acta Univ. Oul. B 168, 2018 Oulun yliopisto, PL 8000, 90014 Oulun yliopisto Tiivistelmä Tutkimus tarkastelee Pohjois-Suomen myöhäisrautakautista asutusta ja väestön vuorovaikutus- suhteita Pohjois-Pohjanmaan ja Kainuun maakuntien alueelta tunnettujen löytöjen ja kohteiden valossa. Tutkimuksen keskeisimpänä lähtökohtana on näiden teemojen hahmottaminen paikalli- sesta näkökulmasta, sillä monissa aikaisemmissa tulkinnoissa alueella asunut metsästäjä-keräili- jäväestö on jäänyt kohtalaisen vähäiselle huomiolle keskustelujen keskittyessä Lounais-Suomes- ta ja Karjalasta tulleeseen talonpoikaisvaikutukseen. Osittain tästä syystä kyseinen aikakausi on pitkään näyttäytynyt ongelmallisena, eikä moniin alueen asutusta koskevaan kysymykseen ole voitu vastata. Syy myöhäisen rautakauden heikkoon tutkimustilanteeseen niveltyy arkeologiseen aineis- toon liittyvään problematiikkaan. Valtaosa tutkimusalueelta talletetusta materiaalista on luettava niin kutsutuiksi irtolöydöiksi, eli arkeologisiksi esinelöydöiksi, jolle ei ilman kenttätutkimuksia ole mahdollista määrittää tarkkaa löytöyhteyttä. Irtolöydöt muodostavat merkittävän aineistoko- konaisuuden, sillä niiden lisäksi Pohjois-Pohjanmaalta ja Kainuusta tunnetaan ainoastaan muuta- mia myöhäisrautakautisia asuinpaikkoja, hautoja tai muita arkeologisia kohteita. Tästä huolimat- ta, niihin kohdistunut tutkimuksellinen mielenkiinto on viimevuosiin saakka ollut pääosin vähäistä. Väitöskirja lähestyy aineistoa kolmen tapaustutkimuksen kautta. Tapaustutkimukset koostu- vat kaivauksin tutkituista irtolöytökohteista sekä niiden lähiympäristön sekä laajemman arkeolo- gisen kontekstin havainnoinnista. Kaivauksin tutkittujen kohteiden lisäksi tutkimuksessa tarkas- tellaan myös muuta myöhäiselle rautakaudelle ajoittuvaa aineistoa niin tutkimusalueella kuin sen lähialueilla. Tutkimuksen perusteella useat irtolöydöt voidaan liittää hautoihin, asuinpaikkoi- hin tai muihin asutuksesta kertoviin muinaisjäännöksiin, joiden muodostumisprosessiin ovat vai- kuttaneet niin paikalliset traditiot ja elinkeinot kuin yhteydet ja vuorovaikutus muiden rauta- kautisten yhteisöjen kanssa. Asiasanat: asutusmallit, hautaustavat, irtolöydöt, keskiaika, rautakausi, vuorovaikutussuhteet, ylikulttuurisuus For Anna, Verneri and Armi 8 Acknowledgements This study set out as an attempt to understand the economic practises among prehistoric communities of northern Finland and it was initially intended to include a larger geographical and temporal scope. This fumbling is still visible in the first publication included in the study. It did not take long, however, to understand that issues most interesting to me derived from the Late Iron Age and this mindset was strengthened by interesting field results gathered from the Viking Age and Crusader Period sites since 2013. Therefore, the dissertation eventually transformed into a study of settlement and contacts during this timeframe and the research area was revised to cover regions where I felt the need for this kind of scrutiny was the greatest. Although, it is stated throughout the study that the focus of the examination lies on stray finds, the bulk of the analyses presented here are actually based on the data excavated during the fieldwork projects of this dissertation and without these excavations, the presentation of this dissertation would be profoundly different. These studies, as well as the writing of this dissertation, would have not been possible without considerable help from others and, therefore, several institutions and individuals are to be thanked for benefiting the study. First, I would like to offer my gratitude to my supervisors, university lecturer Jari Okkonen and Professor Per H. Ramqvist as well as Professor Eero Jarva, who kindly mentored my research during its early stages. Many ideas and arguments presented in this dissertation are direct consequence of the ideas planted by these great academic minds. On the same note, gratutudes are forwarded at the prereviewers of the dissertation, PhD Anna Wessman and Professor Nils Anfinset for their expert comments on the manuscript of the dissertation. In addition, I am grateful to my follow-up group for doctoral training, university lecturers Matti Enbuske and Janne Ikäheimo and PhD Kirsti Paavola for overseeing the progress of my work. Janne Ikäheimo is further thanked for greatly contributing to the excavations of Pirttitörmä dwelling site. Furthermore, Professor Vesa-Pekka Herva is to be thanked for providing insightful comments on my work along the way. Great gratitudes are also expressed for my academic colleagues, MA Aki Hakonen, MA Karen Niskanen, PhD Risto Nurmi, PhD Jari-Matti Kuusela PhD Heli Maijanen, PhD Mirette Modarress, Dr Anna-Kaisa Salmi, PhD Timo Ylimaunu and PhD Tiina Äikäs for many interesting discussions, ideas and advices. MA Mika Sarkkinen of the Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia Museum is thanked for providing information about the most recent finds and the gratitude are 9 also extended to MA Esa Suominen of the Kainuu Museum. Petri Anttonen and the Kujala brothers (Ollimatti, Harri and Tuukka), are thanked for correspondence and co-operation regarding the most recent Late Iron Age finds of Kainuu and Northern Ostrobothnia. For counsel