European Archaeology Skills Exchange 2010
FULL-Kierikkikangas Stone Age Excavation- Finland
Dates: 26th June to 7th August 2010
Number of UK participants: 6
The Kierikkikangas Stone Age Excavations are hosted by the Kierikki stone age centre http://www.kierikki.fi/ The excavations focus on a stone-age dwelling site circa 4000-3500BC. The centre has been running an international archaeological field school for several years. While conducting in research, participants are also going to be interacting with tourists and site visitors; the wooden pathway to Stone Age village goes through the site. The UK participants will be working alongside Finnish archaeologists and students from Oulu University. The main aim of the placement in 2010 will be to complete the excavation of a stone-age house depression and, time allowing, to complete some test pits in the area. The Leonardo da Vinci funding available for these placements will cover travel (return travel from main UK airport), insurance, subsistence allowance (equal to three meals a day) and accommodation.
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Kierriki Stone Age Centre
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Excavation
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Stone Age village is located less than half a kilometre from Centre and during the summer it will be open to visitors. We have at least one person there between 10.00 - 17.00 guiding tourists. Usually our guides do something 'stone ageish', like stone polishing or archery. We hope you participants would be interested to do some craft and artefact production using wood/bone/antler tools, pottery etc. UK participants will be welcome to participate in some experimental archaeology, depending on skills, experience and interests. Participants will be taken on field trips in the surrounding area to visit different kinds of sites and monuments.
In 2007 Sarah Pickin from Derby, found a piece of Neolithic chewing gum (the lump of birch bark tar) while on the excavation. Neolithic people used the material as an antiseptic to treat gum infections, as well as a glue for repairing pots. This is particularly significant because well defined tooth imprints were found on the gum.
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Chewing Gum dating from the Stone Age
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Sarah Pickin from the 2007 excavation
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Site Information and Background
Stone Age Dwelling Site (4000-3500BC) Yli-II Kierikinkangas
The coastline of the Baltic extended to Kierikki around 7000 –
5000 years ago. Since then, land rise has moved the mouth of the river
Iijoki 30 kilometres westwards. Five thousand years ago, the population
was concentrated close to the coast in several large villages, the remains
of which have been preserved nearly untouched in the area stretching
from the village of Yli-Ii eastwards to the Pahkakoski rapids. This
complex constitutes one of the most important archaeological sites in
Finland. However, the rich Stone Age culture was not an isolated phenomenon
but a part of the more extensive ancient settlement in northern Finland.
Archaeological research in Yli-Ii began in 1960 in connection with the harnessing of the river Iijoki for hydroelectric power. The National Board of Antiquities mapped and excavated Stone Age sites for example at Pahkakoski and on Kierikkisaari island. After these very productive excavations, several smaller one were carried out in the 1970s and 80s. In 1993, archaeologists from the University of Oulu discovered the rich Kuuselankangas site, and a few years later the prehistoric wood deposits of Purkajasuo bog. Since then, the region has been the focus of continuing archaeological research under the combined auspices of the University of Oulu and the National Board of Antiquities.
Read the report written by Jeremy Hallatt, a participant from 2009
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Images from the 2009 Excavation
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For specific questions regarding the site at Kierrikki Stone Age Centre please contact the director Patrik Franzen directly or alternatively for more information regarding the placement and application questions contact Grampus on 016973 21516.
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NOTE: Participants on all of our placements will now require a European Health Insurance CARD (EHIC). CLICK HERE to visit the external website and apply for your EHIC online. |
