Papers by Aki Arponen
Peeters Publishers eBooks, Dec 31, 2018
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The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential charact... more The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential characteristics of medieval Western Christianity. In particular, relics and reliquaries are prime examples of the importance of materiality in devotion. In the present article we analyse one of the medieval skull relics of Turku Cathedral and its material characteristics in detail. Previous examinations undertaken in the 1920s and 1940s produced two theories of its origins and identification. By analysing the bone material and the narrative depiction of martyrdom embroidered on the silk wrapping, State Archaeologist Juhani Rinne connected the relic to St Henry, the patron saint of Finland and the cathedral, while State Archaeologist Carl Axel Nordman identified it as belonging to St Eric, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Sweden. By re-examining the central element of the skull relic, the bones, with osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating, we show both theories to be highly problematic. ...
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The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential charact... more The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential characteristics of medieval Western Christianity. In particular, relics and reliquaries are prime examples of the importance of materiality in devotion. In the present article we analyse one of the medieval skull relics of Turku Cathedral and its material characteristics in detail. Previous examinations undertaken in the 1920s and 1940s produced two theories of its origins and identification. By analysing the bone material and the narrative depiction of martyrdom embroidered on the silk wrapping, State Archaeologist Juhani Rinne connected the relic to St Henry, the patron saint of Finland and the cathedral, while State Archaeologist Carl Axel Nordman identified it as belonging to St Eric, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Sweden. By re-examining the central element of the skull relic, the bones, with osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating, we show both theories to be highly problematic. ...
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The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential charact... more The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential characteristics of medieval Western Christianity. In particular, relics and reliquaries are prime examples of the importance of materiality in devotion. In the present article we analyse one of the medieval skull relics of Turku Cathedral and its material characteristics in detail. Previous examinations undertaken in the 1920s and 1940s produced two theories of its origins and identification. By analysing the bone material and the narrative depiction of martyrdom embroidered on the silk wrapping, State Archaeologist Juhani Rinne connected the relic to St Henry, the patron saint of Finland and the cathedral, while State Archaeologist Carl Axel Nordman identified it as belonging to St Eric, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Sweden. By re-examining the central element of the skull relic, the bones, with osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating, we show both theories to be highly problematic. ...
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The article concentrates on the lichen dyes litmus and orchil which were imported into the Nordic... more The article concentrates on the lichen dyes litmus and orchil which were imported into the Nordic countries. Lichen dyes have been identified in Danish textiles from the Roman Iron Age and the Viking Age. The textiles areconsidered foreign. However, it would be too risky to claim that they were dyed with orchil or litmus. Certain evidence for the use of foreign lichen dyes in the Nordic countries derives from the post-medieval written sources. In the Swedish texts litmus is mentioned already in the sixteenth century, but in the customs duty lists it exists only in 1812. Litmus was mainly used for dyeing textiles but it could be used to dye e.g. paper and parchment and to make paint, watercolours and reagent paper. Litmus was sold in blue cube-shaped cakes and was transported in boxes, barrels and sacks. Litmus was mainly made of the lichen Roccella tinctoria which grew on the Canary Islands. The dye was manufactured in Holland according to a secret recipe. In chemical terms litmus i...
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The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential charact... more The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential characteristics of medieval Western Christianity. In particular, relics and reliquaries are prime examples of the importance of materiality in devotion. In the present article we analyse one of the medieval skull relics of Turku Cathedral and its material characteristics in detail. Previous examinations undertaken in the 1920s and 1940s produced two theories of its origins and identification. By analysing the bone material and the narrative depiction of martyrdom embroidered on the silk wrapping, State Archaeologist Juhani Rinne connected the relic to St Henry, the patron saint of Finland and the cathedral, while State Archaeologist Carl Axel Nordman identified it as belonging to St Eric, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Sweden. By re-examining the central element of the skull relic, the bones, with osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating, we show both theories to be highly problematic. ...
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Temenos - Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion, Dec 19, 2018
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MASF 7. Helsinki harvest: proceedings of the 11th nordic conference on the application of scientific methods in archaeology., 2019
The Mukkala burial ground consists of eight excavated inhumation burials that all date to the mid... more The Mukkala burial ground consists of eight excavated inhumation burials that all date to the middle of the 17th century and 1-2 nearby shaman burials from the beginning of the century. The site was excavated by Jorma Leppäaho in the 1930s. Since its discovery, Mukkala is of importance as one of the few excavated Sámi burial grounds and the only one representing the later extinct Forest Sámi population in Finland. The aim of this paper is to reveal the quality of the Forest Sámi culture of the Sompio Lapp village, when the cultural assimilation into the neighbouring populations was already under way. The paper concentrates on the organic material excavated in Mukkala, the burial ground of the Sompio Lapp village. First, we present the textiles which were made for everyday use by weaving, knitting, naalebinding (nål(e)binding, one needle knitting), and braiding. Second, we study the remains of animal skins, which were used for wrapping the deceased and for fur shoes and pouches. Finally, we recognize both the continuity of age-old circumpolar traditions, novelties in local production and dyeing of textiles, and the acquiring of commodities by trade.
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Temenos, 2018
The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential charact... more The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one of the essential characteristics of medieval Western Christianity. In particular, relics and reliquaries are prime examples of the importance of materiality in devotion. In the present article we analyse one of the medieval skull relics of Turku Cathedral and its material characteristics in detail. Previous examinations undertaken in the 1920s and 1940s produced two theories of its origins and identification. By analysing the bone material and the narrative depiction of martyrdom embroidered on the silk wrapping, State Archaeologist Juhani Rinne connected the relic to St Henry, the patron saint of Finland and the cathedral, while State Archaeologist Carl Axel Nordman identified it as belonging to St Eric, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Sweden. By reexamining the central element of the skull relic, the bones, with osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating, we show both theories to be highly problematic. Our analysis reveals the complex material features of the skull relic and the medieval cult of relics.
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Call for Papers by Aki Arponen
Relics @ the Lab: book of abstracts
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Conference Presentations by Aki Arponen
METAL2022 PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERIM MEETING OF THE ICOM-CC METALS WORKING GROUP SEPTEMBER 5–9, 2022 HELSINKI, FINLAND, 2022
This publication contains the proceedings of Metal 2022, the Interim Meeting of the ICOM-CC Metal... more This publication contains the proceedings of Metal 2022, the Interim Meeting of the ICOM-CC Metals Working Group that was held in Helsinki, Finland, on September 5–9, 2022, hosted by The National Museum of Finland and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.
The conference program for Metal 2022 formed a dynamic ensemble of paper and poster presentations, as well as invited lectures by leading voices in our field. Authors from 26 countries, including Young Conservation Professionals, presented their work in Helsinki.
EDITED BY PAUL MARDIKIAN, LIISA NÄSÄNEN, AND AKI ARPONEN
© 2022 International Council of Museums – Committee for Conservation (ICOM–CC) and The National Museum of Finland Collections and Conservation Centre (NMF).
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Papers by Aki Arponen
Call for Papers by Aki Arponen
Conference Presentations by Aki Arponen
The conference program for Metal 2022 formed a dynamic ensemble of paper and poster presentations, as well as invited lectures by leading voices in our field. Authors from 26 countries, including Young Conservation Professionals, presented their work in Helsinki.
EDITED BY PAUL MARDIKIAN, LIISA NÄSÄNEN, AND AKI ARPONEN
© 2022 International Council of Museums – Committee for Conservation (ICOM–CC) and The National Museum of Finland Collections and Conservation Centre (NMF).
The conference program for Metal 2022 formed a dynamic ensemble of paper and poster presentations, as well as invited lectures by leading voices in our field. Authors from 26 countries, including Young Conservation Professionals, presented their work in Helsinki.
EDITED BY PAUL MARDIKIAN, LIISA NÄSÄNEN, AND AKI ARPONEN
© 2022 International Council of Museums – Committee for Conservation (ICOM–CC) and The National Museum of Finland Collections and Conservation Centre (NMF).