BURIAL CAIRNS in the REGION of the ANCIENT BAY of Panella

Fennoscandia archaeologica XVI 1(2000) Janne Harjula BURIAL CAIRNS IN THE REGION OF THE ANCIENT BAY OF PANELlA A study of cultural formation processes Abstract Studying the local history and the archaeological surveys, it can be found that only about half of the burial cairns in the region of the Ancient Bay of Panelia have survived from the beginning of the 19th century to this day. The condition of the remaining cairns has also deteriorated. The reason leading to the current situation has been the expansion of settlement after the general parcelling out of land in the late 18th century. This has been fatal for the burial cairns situated on the same slopes as spreading settlement. Drawing archaeological conclusions becomes difficult because of the diminishing representativity and source value of the archaeo logical material. The destruction of the remains of the past is also an antiquarian concern. How can the remains be preserved for the generations to come? The decentralisation of antiquities administration and the emerging appreciation of the cultural heritage give hope for the future.The registration of the new archaeological re mains has also changed the picture of the archaeological coverage in the area. The surveyors' subjective choices and the tradition of intuitive survey, developed for the protection of the remains and for antiquities administration, have affected the results of the surveys. The listed burial cairns are concentrated in the vicinity of a modem cultural landscape. The low and small sized cairns are underrepresented. This is probably caused by the unsystematic surveys of low intensity. Keywords : burial cairns, archaeological formation processes, archaeological surveys, preservation of antiquities. Janne Harju/a, Department of Cultural Studies / Archaeology, Henrikinkatu 2, FIN-20014 University of Turku, Finland. INTRODUCTION The burial cairns, located on the surface of the ground, form a group of archaeological The vulnerability of the remains of the past has remains, easily reacting to human activity. They been noticed in Finland since the beginning of are exposed to damage caused by land use, the scientific archaeology (Appelgren 1894: 65- exploiting of the stones of the cairns, vandal 66; Heikel 1894a; 1894b; Piilsi 1939: 20-22). ism and digging for reasons of curiosity. The The archaeologists' concern for preserving the destruction of remains and the registration of cultural heritage has been obvious through the new remains continuously change the picture centuries. The questions concerning the pro of the archaeological coverage. In the follow tection of the remains are still topical (Alueel ing, the changes in the coverage of burial lisen muinaismuistohallinnon kehittiimistoimi cairns in the region of the ancient bay of the kunnan mietinto 1993: 102-104; Edgren 1995; Eurajoki River, in Lower Satakunta, are stud Lilius 1997). ied. This article deals with the following ques- 83 as the cultural provinces of Finland's Western Bronze Age culture, and the differences in the archaeological coverage, as understood at present, are caused by the prehistoric cultural differences (Salo 1981: 331-383).1 The first written mention of the archaeologi cal remains in the area of the Bay of Panelia is to be found in a description of Eura Parish from 1850, mentioning the cairns at Panelia (Lindstrom 1850). The first survey was carried out in 1878 (Killinen 1880), and the latest in 1984 (Kuokkanen 1986).2 Before the Second World War, a few cairns were excavated (Appelgren 1889; Aspelin 1885; Hackman Fig. 1. The study area is located in Lower 1894; 1924a; Tallgren 1918a; 1918b). After the Satakunta, Western Finland. Second World War the emphasis of the ar chaeological research was still on cairns tions: how do the remaining cairns represent (Itkonen 1967; Keskitalo 1951; Virtamaa 1973; the original coverage of cairns, and how do the Ridha & Vuorinen 1985; Saloranta 1986). Be listed cairns represent the whole coverage of sides the cairns, part of the Late Bronze Age cairns in the study area, and finally, some ideas dwelling site in the area has been excavated concerning the preservation of the remains of (Wallen ius 1988a; 1988b). "Kuninkaanhauta" the past and the cultural landscape are pre (The King's Grave) serves as a symbol of the sented. area's prehistory (Fig. 2). The cairns in the study area have a long his tory of documentation. Several excavations of THE DESTROYED CAIRNS burial cairns, archaeological surveys of vary ing type and intensity and inspections of re How do the preserved cairns represent the mains have been carried out. Added to the rich original distribution of burial cairns in the local history, information of good source value study area? Suggestions that the distribution of can be obtained. From this information, the cairns in the study area has not remained un destruction of cairns, and the earlier number of changed can be obtained from the first survey. cairns led from this, can be established. In ad Kustaa Killinen (1880) mentions the following dition to the destruction of cairns, the changes about the cairns at Panelia: "People talk about in the appearance and condition of the pre cairns destroyed during this generation. Who served cairns are studied. knows how much has been destroyed in times The Ancient Bay of Pane1ia (Fi. Panelian gone by, when mansions were built and fields muinaislahti) or the Bay of Panelia (Fi. Pane were cleared." The oldest information about lianlahti) are the names commonly used of the destroyed cairns is partly based on Killinen's ancient bay area of the Eurajoki River (Fig. 1). mentions in his survey report. The main source This bay covered the most of the present vil of the information comes from the documen lage of Panelia of the commune of Kiukainen tation made by a local teacher in Panelia, in prehistoric times. The bay has also reached Veikko Roiha. Also oral history, documented by the region of the communes of Eura and Eura him and covering many generations, goes back joki. The Bay of Panelia is distinguishable both to the time before the establishment of antiq archaeologically and geographically. The uities administration and scientific archaeol neighbouring area in the south is the region of ogy (Roiha 1969; 1982; 1983: 56-59). At the the Lapijoki River (the region of Rauma) and beginning of the 19th century, probably only a the region of the Kokemaenjoki River in the small proportion of the instances of destruction north (the communes of Kokemaki, Harjavalta, cases were documented. The number of the Nakkila, Ulvila and Pori). The Bay of Panelia documented cases increases and the informa and its neighbouring areas have been regarded tion becomes more specified when mentions in the 84 Fig. 2. Panelia, Kuninkaanhauta (the King's Grave). Photo: J. Harjula. survey and inspection reports began in the late cairns is 64 - 66, besides which, there are three 19th century. mentions by Kustaa Killinen (1880) about The information on the destroyed burial "several" destroyed cairns. If the term 'several' cairns is presented in Appendices 1 - 3. The is understood as implying at least three and at location, number, and the time and cause of most five cairns, the number of the destroyed destruction are mentioned if known. cairns will be 74 - 80. When these destroyed Three time periods are used. The first cov cairns are added to the known and preserved th 3 ers the time span between the early 19 century cairns , the number of 164 - 170 cairns for the and the year 1878, when the first survey in the early 19th century is obtained. About 53 - 55 per study area was carried out (Appendix 1). The cent of these remain. Thus, during the last two second period covers the time span between centuries, about half of the burial cairns have the years 1878 - 1951 (Appendix 2). This was been destroyed. a critical cultural, economic and social period The proportion of the destroyed cairns in Finland, when also scientific archaeology seems large. In a study on Bronze Age and the was established. In 1951 the first survey after Early Iron Age cairns, Tiitinen (1988: 26) the Second World War was carried out. The last found that about 60 per cent of the cairns in the period covers the years 1951 - 1984 (Appen region of Rauma had deteriorated in condition dix 3). In 1963 the present Antiquities Act was between 1890 and 1980. In comparison with passed. The latest survey of burial cairns, cov the Nordic Countries, the destruction of the ering the whole area of the Bay of Panelia, was cairns in the Bay of Panelia does not seem ex carried out in 1984. ceptional. In Denmark, about half of the mega Because all the cases of destruction have not lithic monuments in Funen were lost in two been documented, the cairns presented in Ap hundred years (Kristiansen 1985b: 116). Ac pendices 1 - 3 represent the minimum number cording to some estimates, only about 10 - 20 of destroyed cairns. The number of destroyed per cent of the Danish Bronze Age burial mounds 85 have been preserved (Eriksen 1987: 19). Between In table 1 gives the shape of the base and pro the years 1867 - 1964,37 per cent of the burial file ofcairns, ofwhich both properties ofare known mounds in Angermanland, Sweden, locating in (88). the vicinity of a modern settlement as the cairns On grounds of the base's shape and the pro in the Bay of Panelia, were destroyed (Baudou file, at least three types of burial cairns can be 1968: 112-113). During the time span of the same distinguished. One basic type of the Bronze length, 34 per cent of the cairns were destroyed in Age cairn is a cairn of round/oval shape and the Bay ofPanelia.

Load more