This is an electronic reprint of the original article. This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Lipkin, Sanna; Ruhl, Erika; Vajanto, Krista; Tranberg, Annemari; Suomela, Jenni Textiles Published in: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY DOI: 10.1007/s41636-020-00270-4 Published: 30/11/2020 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Published under the following license: CC BY Please cite the original version: Lipkin, S., Ruhl, E., Vajanto, K., Tranberg, A., & Suomela, J. (2020). Textiles: Decay and Preservation in Seventeenth- to Nineteenth-Century Burials in Finland. HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-020-00270-4 This material is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, and duplication or sale of all or part of any of the repository collections is not permitted, except that material may be duplicated by you for your research use or educational purposes in electronic or print form. You must obtain permission for any other use. Electronic or print copies may not be offered, whether for sale or otherwise to anyone who is not an authorised user. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Hist Arch https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-020-00270-4 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Textiles: Decay and Preservation in Seventeenth- to Nineteenth-Century Burials in Finland Sanna Lipkin & Erika Ruhl & Krista Vajanto & Annemari Tranberg & Jenni Suomela Accepted: 10 July 2019 # The Author(s) 2020 Abstract The taphonomy of human remains and los restos humanos, los insectos, los roedores y la associated funerary textiles are inevitably linked. conservación se explora mediante el estudio de un The interplay among burial clothes, human re- grupo de entierros posmedievales en Finlandia. Estos mains, insects, rodents, and preservation is ex- entierros han sido excavados arqueológicamente o plored through study of a group of postmedieval inventariados debajo de los pisos de madera de las burials in Finland. These burials have been either iglesias. Se estudian los factores de descomposición archaeologically excavated or inventoried beneath y conservación para diversas condiciones, lo que wooden church floors. Decay and preserving fac- permite un estudio en profundidad de las prendas tors for various conditions are studied, allowing individuales y la identificación de la temporada de in-depth study of individual garments and identifi- entierro. Además, la investigación ha revelado cation of the burial season. In addition, research diferentes factores que tienen un efecto en la has revealed different factors that have an effect conservación futura de los entierros debajo de los on future preservation of the burials under church pisos de las iglesias. floors. Résumé La taphonomie des restes humains et les Extracto La tafonomía de los restos humanos y los textiles funéraires associés sont inévitablement liés. tejidos funerarios asociados están inevitablemente L'interaction entre les vêtements du mort, les restes vinculados. La interacción entre la ropa funeraria, humains, les insectes, les rongeurs et la préservation est explorée dans le cadre de l'étude d'un groupe de tombes post-médiévales en Finlande. Ces tombes S. Lipkin (*) : A. Tranberg Department of Archaeology, University of Oulu, Pentti Kaiteran ontfaitl'objetd’un inventaire ou de fouilles katu 1, Linnanmaa, PL 8000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland archéologiques sous les parquets de bois des églises. e-mail: [email protected] La décomposition et les facteurs de préservation pour différentes conditions sont étudiés, permettant E. Ruhl SUNY at Buffalo, 380 Fillmore Academic Center, Ellicott une étude approfondie des vêtements individuels et Complex, Buffalo, NY 14261, U.S.A. une identification de la saison de l'enterrement. De plus, la recherche a mis en évidence différents K. Vajanto facteurs ayant un effet sur la préservation future Nanomicroscopy Center, Aalto University, Puumiehenkuja 2 (door H), FI-02150 Espoo, Finland des tombes sous les sols des églises. J. Suomela Department of Education/Craft Studies, University of Helsinki, Keywords textiles . burial clothes . preservation . PO Box 8 (Siltavuorenpenger 10), FI00014 Helsinki, Finland mummies . under-floor church burials . Finland Hist Arch Introduction Excavated Textiles Although archaeological textiles can be preserved In Finland, postmedieval funerary textiles have been in a variety of conditions, they generally remain explored under two key circumstances, those excavated rare in many archaeological contexts. As such, and those inventoried. Excavated textiles include those excavators, with little actual data, are often left unearthed during excavations conducted within the old to conjecture what may have been present. Textile churchyard of Oulu Cathedral (excavations 1996 and preservation often occurs in extreme environmental 2002), at the site of Hailuoto church, which burned in conditions. While dry, permafrost, and waterlogged 1968 (excavations 1985–1987), inside Köyliö church environments are the most suitable conditions for (excavations 2015), and textiles currently stored in the textile preservation, textile fragments can also sur- Pohjois-Pohjanmaan museo (Northern Ostrobothnia vive when in direct contact with metal objects or Museum), which records indicate were excavated in carbonized in burnt layers. This article examines 1952 from a mass grave for soldiers of the Finnish the preservation of 17th- to mid-19th-century fu- War (1808–1809) as the result of construction work. nerary textiles from cemeteries and church sites in The Koskela mass-grave textile material constitutes ca. northern and southwestern Finland. These materials 20 different fabrics (mostly wool) disintegrated into have preserved and decomposed in various circum- numerous pieces (Lipkin 2018). stances that allow for a wide-ranging examination At Oulu Cathedral a total of 266 burials have been of the survival of contemporaneous textiles. While excavated, of which 76 burials included textile remains documenting and studying funerary attire to better (Kehusmaa 1997; Sarkkinen and Kehusmaa 2002). understand the wide variety of social and cultural These are fragmentarily preserved, and the most preva- aspects of postmedieval burial rituals, we have lent materials are wool, silk, or combinations of these paid particular attention to items’ varying states with metal thread. Most of the burials studied at Oulu of preservation. We have realized that various Cathedral were never located below the church floor, factors adversely impact preservation, and that despite a shift in the building’s foundational footprint in preservation is the result of complex causal se- the 18th century. These remains do not indicate any quences that are often difficult to detect. signs of mummification, but, nevertheless, the number Recognition of the state of preservation of ar- of textiles is significant (ca. 200 textile fragments in 76 chaeological textiles is crucial in order to facilitate burials) (Kehusmaa 1997; Sarkkinen and Kehusmaa the interpretation of burial contexts and the iden- 2002). As the orientation of the church changed, parts tities of buried individuals. Finnish postmedieval of the old churchyard ended up beneath the new build- funerary textiles have preserved in a variety of ing. Approximately 130 of the churchyard burials from conditions. Many textiles found in church under- the time before the new cathedral (ca. 1600–1770s) were floor contexts are perfectly preserved on either excavated inside it in 1996. Oulu Cathedral is a 1,540- mummified or skeletonized human remains, but seat, neoclassical stone church that protected these our research has indicated that their future preser- burials from rainwater and frost for more than 200 years, vation may be endangered. Recording the tapho- although they remain subject to changes in soil mois- nomic processes within the burials is also impor- ture. However, there is no significant difference between tant in terms of garment identification and identi- the preservation of textiles from these burials and those fication of the burial season. In burials, a single burials that remained outside the church (excavated in garment is usually preserved in fragments that may 2002). represent different states of preservation and thus Oulu Cathedral is substantially larger than the prevent correct identification. In addition, analysis churches in Hailuoto, Haukipudas, Keminmaa, of the combined information from textile preserva- Kempele, and Köyliö. In these churches, burials were tion, mummification, decomposition, and insect re- placed beneath the wooden floors. In Hailuoto, a fire mains has enabled further research of burial cus- destroyed the wooden church in 1968, but it does not toms (Lipkin, Niinimäki et al., this issue) and the appear to have directly affected the burials, which had seasonal effects of funerary activities (Kallio-Seppä been covered with sand in 1756 (Paavola 1998:69); as a and Tranberg, this issue). result, nothing within the burials was carbonized or Hist Arch melted. However, it is likely that the heat of the flames does not seem to be a significant difference in the and water used to extinguish the fire impacted overall numbers of skeletonized or mummified human remains. preservation. The bones from these burials are described Slightly mummified human remains are considered to as being similar to paste and were poorly preserved. At be those that have mostly skeletonized, but have some Hailuoto, silk and wool are also the most commonly remains of dry skin