HS Turku A medieval toilet was excavated under Turku, which opens up a sensational perspective on the life of ancient Finns: “The mainstream of the world was followed here”

What on the basis of a nearly 600-year-old huss from Turku can be found? Huge amount of information about the life of medieval Finns and the pepper seed.

Seven years ago, the ruins of old Turku were excavated under the cathedral school on the edge of Turku’s Old Town Square, now Turku’s Swedish-language Katedralskolan i Åbo, until the 14th century.

The excavations revealed one of the oldest Finnish latrines, ie toilets. The toilet was dated to the mid-15th century, but household waste and feces from the 1350s were found in the area.

Turku researchers have now found out what was really at the bottom of the toilet. A scientific article related to plant residue research will be published at the beginning of the year.

Most of the organic ingredients in the feces are lost over the centuries, but various seeds in particular remain.

In the past, plant remains from an old toilet have been studied in Finland, for example in Kotka, where the 19th-century remains of the fortress town of Ruotsinsalmi were analyzed. Two medieval toilets have been found in Turku in the past, but no detailed studies have been carried out on their findings.

Plant history specialized archaeologist Mia Lempiäinen-Avci The University of Turku says that the remains studied tell about the diet of medieval Turku residents as well as the city’s international trade.

The most interesting single discovery was the seed of the meleguett pepper. The plant growing in Africa was a popular spice in medieval Europe until it was supplanted by black pepper. Thus, medieval Finns received imported goods all the way from Africa.

“Finns were no more barbaric than anywhere else in Europe, and the world’s mainstream were followed here. We had pretty much the same ingredients at the dining table as elsewhere in Europe, ”says Lempiäinen-Avci.

The stone houses around the Old Market Square were inhabited by the Turku bourgeoisie, which could afford to buy luxury goods from imported Hanseatic traders.

Seeds of food imported from abroad, such as millet, fig and grape, were found in the toilet.

Medieval the diet of the bourgeoisie was surprisingly varied, as in addition to basic cereals, they ate a wide variety of berries, such as aho strawberries and blueberries, as well as hazelnuts, for example.

Based on the findings of the toilet, conclusions can also be drawn about toilet hygiene. Medieval people in Turku, for example, used wooden sticks to clean their backs.

“Moss was also found in the latrine, and we are now considering whether soft moss has been used for wiping,” Lempiäinen-Avci weighed.

In addition to the seeds of the edible berries, remnants of dozens of weeds also ended up at the bottom of the toilet. According to the researchers, they may have been used as bedding after going to the toilet, in the same way that bark and wood bedding is currently used in the dry toilet.

Some of the meadow plants are likely to be eaten as medicine. For example, round nuts of a hop plant were found in the toilet.

“They may have been used as medicine, but of course hops are also associated with drinking beer,” says Lempiäinen-Avci.

Cathedral School under the gym, excavations were carried out in 2018 on the ruins, which the Spanish-speaking National Geographic even compared to Pompeii.

Underneath the gym were the basements of two large residential buildings and part of the first residential floor. The buildings belonged to the richest bourgeoisie in the city, and they were destroyed in the Turku fire in 1827.

Read more: A lost city is being excavated in Turku: a wide highway was found in the outcrop of the square, homes for the rich under the school

Archaeological excavated plant residue research is included in the Kappas, poop! exhibition. Visitors can learn about various scientific studies of the feces and marvel at the droppings of twenty different animals.

Read more: The truth about Turku’s age is on offer – the construction of a tramway would open an archaeological treasure trove

Read more: Massive archeological excavations will soon begin in the middle of Turku, and there will probably be at least another market under the Market Square.