The most interesting finds for archaeologists were the small pieces of feathers and hair.
Outokumpu A child was buried in a Stone Age grave opened in Majoonsuo. In addition, two arrowheads and two other quartz objects were placed in the grave. The child may have rested on a down bed and a dog or wolf may have been buried at his feet.
Museum Agency excavated Maajoensuu’s ancient tomb in 2018. The tomb was in danger of being destroyed due to the dirt road running over it. The heavy red soil of its upper part had been exposed.
The researchers of the University of Helsinki decided to examine the soil of the grave properly. The study was published in a scientific journal PlosONE.
The soil found in the grave was almost completely recovered during the excavation. In total, soil was stored in almost 65 bags, all of which contained 0.6–3.4 kilograms of soil.
An artist’s view of the child buried in Majoonsuo.
Lay however, the actual findings for the ears remained modest.
Only a few teeth were found on the deceased, from which it can be concluded that he was between 3 and 10 years old.
There were four distinct artefact finds: two quartz arrowheads and two other man-made quartz pieces that may have been used as primitive knives or leather tools.
Based on the shape of the arrowheads and the displacement of the beach, the grave could be dated to the Mesolithic Stone Age, a period of about 6,000 years before the start of the countdown.
In addition, 24 microscopically small pieces of bird feathers were found in the grave, most of which were down. Analysis revealed most of them to be waterfowl down. One fragment was the molt of a bird belonging to the peregrine falcon family.
Along with the feathers, 24 dog or wolf hair or hair fragments, 0.5 to 9.5 millimeters in length, were also identified from the grave.
An electron micrograph of a possible canine hair.
About research the archeologist of the respondent Tuija Kirkinen however, it is precisely the pieces of feathers and hairs that are the most interesting finds in the grave.
“These are the oldest remains of feathers and hairs found in Finland. Organic matter is not preserved here because the soil is so acidic”. Kirkinen tells.
There are only theories about what molts and hairs tell.
“It is possible that the hairs and melts are connected to the clothes of the deceased. On the other hand, it is also possible that the deceased would have rested in the grave on a down bed – this kind of burial method is also known elsewhere.”
The hairs, on the other hand, may also tell about the dog that was placed in the grave with the deceased. Burial with animals was not uncommon in the Stone Age.
The falcon’s feather, on the other hand, could have been associated with the buried arrows.
“The bow and arrows were very important in the culture of the time. Most likely, despite his young age, the child has already learned to shoot.”
In research new methods were also developed for separating animal and plant fibers from soil.
The research was partly funded by the European Research Council Animals make identities project.
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