Tuija Kirkinen
University of Helsinki, Archaeology, Department Member
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Research Interests: Art and Zooarchaeology
Microscopic remains of plants, hairs, blood, bone, and sinew have been detected on Stone Age implements as evidence of the ways the tools were used. Together with use-wear analysis, microresidues enable us to obtain additional information... more
Microscopic remains of plants, hairs, blood, bone, and sinew have been detected on Stone Age implements as evidence of the ways the tools were used. Together with use-wear analysis, microresidues enable us to obtain additional information of artefact biographies. However, the preservation of residues is not a straightforward issue. Although bones, plant matter, and wood have a tendency to decompose rapidly in acidic podzol soils, the acidity favours the preservation of keratinous tissues such as hairs and feathers. Because the analysis of microresidues has not been applied on Finnish quartz artefacts, this paper presents a preliminary testing of the method in a Late Stone Age settlement site in Kraakanmäki 3, western Finland. As a result, we found microscopic remains of hairs, feathers, and plants, which enable us to speak for the careful handling of quartz and stone tools at the excavations for further analyses.
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Microscopic animal and plant fibres detected in archaeological contexts are a valuable source of information regarding textile production, use-histories of artefacts and in studying mortuary practices. At the same time, recent research on... more
Microscopic animal and plant fibres detected in archaeological contexts are a valuable source of information regarding textile production, use-histories of artefacts and in studying mortuary practices. At the same time, recent research on microplastic pollution has revealed the ability of fibres to move even long distances and accumulate in various terrestrial and aquatic contexts. In this paper we discuss the accumulation of 100-1000µm-long animal hairs, bird feather barbules and textile fibres at Kvarnbo Hall, a Nordic Late Iron Age high-status settlement site in the Åland Archipelago, Finland. The hairs and barbules detected in soil samples reveal important information on the use of furs and downy feathers at the site. However, our study reveals that the microparticles sampled in the 6th-11th-century contexts represent not only the prehistoric phase of the site but can also be ascribed to the later land-use history of the area. We also speculate that long-distance airborne particles might be one possible contamination source of fibres.
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Microscopic animal and plant fibres detected in archaeological contexts are a valuable source of information regarding textile production, use-histories of artefacts and in studying mortuary practices. At the same time, recent research on... more
Microscopic animal and plant fibres detected in archaeological contexts are a valuable source of information regarding textile production, use-histories of artefacts and in studying mortuary practices. At the same time, recent research on microplastic pollution has revealed the ability of fibres to move even long distances and accumulate in various terrestrial and aquatic contexts. In this paper we discuss the accumulation of 100-1000µm-long animal hairs, bird feather barbules and textile fibres at Kvarnbo Hall, a Nordic Late Iron Age high-status settlement site in the Åland Archipelago, Finland. The hairs and barbules detected in soil samples reveal important information on the use of furs and downy feathers at the site. However, our study reveals that the microparticles sampled in the 6th-11th-century contexts represent not only the prehistoric phase of the site but can also be ascribed to the later land-use history of the area. We also speculate that long-distance airborne particles might be one possible contamination source of fibres.
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Co-authors: Siiriäinen, . A., Halinen, . P., Carpelan, . C., Uino, . P., Lavento, . M.
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Archaeological evidence of the use of animal hides in burials have recently become known in the Late Iron Age and the Middle Ages (800—1300 AD) in Finland and Karelia (Russia). The purpose of the article is to interpret the ritual of... more
Archaeological evidence of the use of animal hides in burials have recently become known in the Late Iron Age and the Middle Ages (800—1300 AD) in Finland and Karelia (Russia). The purpose of the article is to interpret the ritual of wrapping the dead in hides of Eurasian elk and reindeer. For the first time, the authors use a combination of innovative methods of archaeozoological analysis to study the remains of fur, and the method of ethnoarchaeological reconstruction to study the burial rite. Wrapping bodies in hides of wild animals is a widespread long-term tradition, which was practiced in Northern Europe by the Stone Age hunters. This funerary rite was supposed to ensure the “transformation” of a person into an ancestor animal. Reminiscences of hunting religious beliefs were preserved in the ideology of Northern Europe after the transition to agriculture.
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This paper describes the possibilities of GIS (Geographic Infonnation Systems) in archaeolo gy. GIS-analyses have been used to study the relationship between prehistoric settlement and environmental resources. The Iron Age sites of... more
This paper describes the possibilities of GIS (Geographic Infonnation Systems) in archaeolo gy. GIS-analyses have been used to study the relationship between prehistoric settlement and environmental resources. The Iron Age sites of southern Karelia and Savo, especially the Taipalsaari area, are given as examples. Tuija Kirkinen, Dept. of Archaeology, P.O.Box 13, FIN-OOOI4 University of Helsinki, Fin land.
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Spatial Data in Archaeology is a sub-project of a large research consortium, From Data to Knowledge (1996-2001) funded by the Academy of Finland, and lead by professor Heikki Mannila, from the Department of Computer Science, at the... more
Spatial Data in Archaeology is a sub-project of a large research consortium, From Data to Knowledge (1996-2001) funded by the Academy of Finland, and lead by professor Heikki Mannila, from the Department of Computer Science, at the University of Helsinki. In 1996, the Academy drafted the Information Research Programme, the purpose of which is to generate a multi-faceted approach to information, its production, presentation, transfer, and utilisation.
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Research Interests: Geography, Networks, Archaeology of Religion, Ancient DNA Research, Russia, and 15 moreFinland, Sámi Studies, History and archaeology, Ancient DNA, Domestication, Bones, EXTRACTION, Husbandry, Herding, archaeology Fennoscandia saami, Reindeer herding, Elsevier, Indigenous, peninsula, and Reindeer domestication
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Microscopic animal and plant fibres detected in archaeological contexts are a valuable source of information regarding textile production, use-histories of artefacts and in studying mortuary practices. At the same time, recent research on... more
Microscopic animal and plant fibres detected in archaeological contexts are a valuable source of information regarding textile production, use-histories of artefacts and in studying mortuary practices. At the same time, recent research on microplastic pollution has revealed the ability of fibres to move even long distances and accumulate in various terrestrial and aquatic contexts. In this paper we discuss the accumulation of 100-1000µm-long animal hairs, bird feather barbules and textile fibres at Kvarnbo Hall, a Nordic Late Iron Age high-status settlement site in the Åland Archipelago, Finland. The hairs and barbules detected in soil samples reveal important information on the use of furs and downy feathers at the site. However, our study reveals that the microparticles sampled in the 6th-11th-century contexts represent not only the prehistoric phase of the site but can also be ascribed to the later land-use history of the area. We also speculate that long-distance airborne particles might be one possible contamination source of fibres.
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In 1968, a weapon grave with brooches was found at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Hattula, Finland. Since then, the grave has been interpreted as evidence of powerful women, even female warriors and leaders in early medieval Finland. Others... more
In 1968, a weapon grave with brooches was found at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Hattula, Finland. Since then, the grave has been interpreted as evidence of powerful women, even female warriors and leaders in early medieval Finland. Others have denied the possibility of a woman buried with a sword and tried to explain it as a double burial. We present the first modern analysis of the grave, including an examination of its context, a soil sample analysis for microremains, and an aDNA analysis. Based on these analyses, we suggest a new interpretation: the Suontaka grave possibly belonged to an individual with sex-chromosomal aneuploidy XXY. The overall context of the grave indicates that it was a respected person whose gender identity may well have been non-binary.
Research Interests: History, Archaeology, Archaeology of Gender, Early Medieval Archaeology, Gender Archaeology, and 9 moreLate Iron Age (Archaeology), Gender and identity (Archaeology), European Archaeology, Scandinavian Archaeology, Queer Archaeology, Sword, Gender roles in archaeology, Swords, and Nordic Archaeology
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Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Culture, Funerary Archaeology, and 15 moreNeolithic Archaeology, Corded Ware Culture, Neolithic Europe, Mortuary archaeology, Animal Husbandry, Antiquity, Neolithic, Finland, Age, History and archaeology, Mortuary Practices, Husbandry, Burial rites of the Corded Ware and the Bell Beaker Cultures in Central Europe, Animal Hair Morphological Identification, and Southern
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The use of feathers in ritual costumes and everyday clothing is well described in ethnographic sources throughout the world. From the same sources we know that bird wings and feathers were loaded with meaning in traditional societies... more
The use of feathers in ritual costumes and everyday clothing is well described in ethnographic sources throughout the world. From the same sources we know that bird wings and feathers were loaded with meaning in traditional societies worldwide. However, direct archaeological evidence of prehistoric use of feathers is still extremely scarce. Hence, feathers belong to the ‘missing majority’: items that are absent from the archaeological record but which we can assume to have been of importance. Here we present microscopic analysis of soil samples from hunter-gatherer burial contexts which reveal the first direct evidence of the use of feathers in the Mesolithic period of north-eastern Europe.
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This paper presents unique animal hair material preserved in Late Iron Age (AD 800–1300) inhumation burials in southeastern Fennoscandia. The studied 110 graves in 22 cemeteries show that animal skins were commonly used for wrapping,... more
This paper presents unique animal hair material preserved in Late Iron Age (AD 800–1300) inhumation burials in southeastern Fennoscandia. The studied 110 graves in 22 cemeteries show that animal skins were commonly used for wrapping, clothing, and as grave goods. Contrary to expectations, the identification of specimens indicates the importance of meat-intensive wild mammals, especially of cervids, over domestic species and fur animals. The results are interpreted with the aid of ethnographic material to indicate the longevity of the hunting mentality in commemoration rituals. The research sheds new light on human-animal relationships at the edge of the cultivation zone in Europe.
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The Ristimäki (‘Cross Hill’) inhumation cemetery in Ravattula village in Kaarina municipality, Southwest Finland, dates to the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval times (12th–13th centuries). In addition to a large cemetery, this site is... more
The Ristimäki (‘Cross Hill’) inhumation cemetery in Ravattula village in Kaarina municipality, Southwest Finland, dates to the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval times (12th–13th centuries). In addition to a large cemetery, this site is documented as having remains of the earliest known church in the country. This study presents the descriptions of fur garments, fur-lined artefacts and grave furnishings that were excavated in Ravattula Ristimäki in 2010–16. Animal hairs and feathers were preserved in eight out of the 61 burials excavated in the research project. We identified eight species of mammals and one family of birds (Anatidae) from the burials that contained organic material. Human scalp hair was found in several female burials, adding information on the hairstyles of the period. Together with blankets filled with feathers, these items indicate highly versatile and varied burial customs within the cemetery. This study provides new evidence of the use of fur garments and access...
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https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2021.30 Moilanen, U., Kirkinen, T., Saari, N., Rohrlach, A., Krause, J., Onkamo, P., & Salmela, E. (2022). A Woman with a Sword? – Weapon Grave at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Finland. European Journal of... more
https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2021.30
Moilanen, U., Kirkinen, T., Saari, N., Rohrlach, A., Krause, J., Onkamo, P., & Salmela, E. (2022). A Woman with a Sword? – Weapon Grave at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Finland. European Journal of Archaeology, 25(1), 42-60. doi:10.1017/eaa.2021.30
Moilanen, U., Kirkinen, T., Saari, N., Rohrlach, A., Krause, J., Onkamo, P., & Salmela, E. (2022). A Woman with a Sword? – Weapon Grave at Suontaka Vesitorninmäki, Finland. European Journal of Archaeology, 25(1), 42-60. doi:10.1017/eaa.2021.30
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co-editor: Maija Tusa
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Research Interests: Archaeology and Finland
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This thesis investigates the skin and fur finds which have been excavated from Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1200/1300) and historical (1200/1300–1700) burials in eastern Fennoscandia during the past 130 years. The research material is unique in... more
This thesis investigates the skin and fur finds which have been excavated from Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1200/1300) and historical (1200/1300–1700) burials in eastern Fennoscandia during the past 130 years. The research material is unique in Europe, as fur remains usually decompose in archaeological contexts. For eastern Fennoscandian Iron Age research, this study brings new information on the roles that animal skins and wild animals held in societies, which produced furs both for domestic use and for the international fur trade.
The main questions of this thesis are
1) How can archaeological fur remains be studied? What information do they provide?
2) What kinds of furs have been discovered in the graves?
3) Why were the furs placed in the graves?
4) What are the recommendations for future research?
The research material consists of skin remains from 121 inhumation burials (animal skins and hairs) and 22 cremation burial sites (remains of claws). Animal hairs were found especially in contact with metals. Hairs were also found from the Late Neolithic soil samples in Perttulanmäki Corded Ware burial in Kauhava, which evidences the huge potential of microarchaeological analysis in fibre research. In cremation cemeteries, the predator 3rd phalanges provide evidence for the cremation of brown bear (Ursus arctos) and lynx (Lynx lynx) skins.
Animal skins were identified by species by the morphology of the hairs. The method was applied to the identification of species, fur preparation traditions like pulling, and the qualities of origin animals, such as the colour of the coat. In this thesis, morphological identification of hairs proved its usefulness as a cost-effective method for identifying archaeological samples. First, it can be applied in cases that lie outside the scope of scientific methods. These constraints are met when the sample size is very small, when the material is mineralized or when DNA has degenerated in acidic soils. However, most archaeological samples had undergone several taphonomic processes, caused especially by bacterial and fungal activity. This has altered the morphology and other qualities of hairs like the preservation of DNA.
As shown in this thesis, animal skin products formed an integral part in burials as grave goods, garments and burial inner structures. For future research on animal fibres, recommendations are made for the handling of finds and samples.
The main questions of this thesis are
1) How can archaeological fur remains be studied? What information do they provide?
2) What kinds of furs have been discovered in the graves?
3) Why were the furs placed in the graves?
4) What are the recommendations for future research?
The research material consists of skin remains from 121 inhumation burials (animal skins and hairs) and 22 cremation burial sites (remains of claws). Animal hairs were found especially in contact with metals. Hairs were also found from the Late Neolithic soil samples in Perttulanmäki Corded Ware burial in Kauhava, which evidences the huge potential of microarchaeological analysis in fibre research. In cremation cemeteries, the predator 3rd phalanges provide evidence for the cremation of brown bear (Ursus arctos) and lynx (Lynx lynx) skins.
Animal skins were identified by species by the morphology of the hairs. The method was applied to the identification of species, fur preparation traditions like pulling, and the qualities of origin animals, such as the colour of the coat. In this thesis, morphological identification of hairs proved its usefulness as a cost-effective method for identifying archaeological samples. First, it can be applied in cases that lie outside the scope of scientific methods. These constraints are met when the sample size is very small, when the material is mineralized or when DNA has degenerated in acidic soils. However, most archaeological samples had undergone several taphonomic processes, caused especially by bacterial and fungal activity. This has altered the morphology and other qualities of hairs like the preservation of DNA.
As shown in this thesis, animal skin products formed an integral part in burials as grave goods, garments and burial inner structures. For future research on animal fibres, recommendations are made for the handling of finds and samples.
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Kirkinen, T., Mannermaa, K., Moilanen, U., Peltosaari, T., Lähdekorpi, M. & Hemmann, K. 2024. The Archaeology of Human–Animal Relations in Nineteenth- to Mid-Twentieth-Century Finland: Horse Burials and Cemeteries in Agrarian Landscapes.... more
Kirkinen, T., Mannermaa, K., Moilanen, U., Peltosaari, T., Lähdekorpi, M. & Hemmann, K. 2024. The Archaeology of Human–Animal Relations in Nineteenth- to Mid-Twentieth-Century Finland: Horse Burials and Cemeteries in Agrarian Landscapes. Historical Archaeology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-024-00487-7