HS Turku | What do you see in this picture? Archaeologist Juha Ruohonen immediately recognized the millennial treasure

In Turku in the forest there is a modest-looking hump covered with moss, on which juniper and pine grow. Pebbles of stones peek out from the ground. The Aurajoki river meanders nearby.

“It was immediately clear,” says the archeology university teacher Juha Ruohonen.

It is a grave that is thousands of years old. A bronze age coal stove.

The secret of the mound in Haaga began to be revealed in the spring, when Ruohonen got a tip from a history buff that a burial mound could be found on the hill.

In November, Ruohonen led a group of students up the hill. Under the appraising eye of a professional, the modest hump turned into an ancient relic protected by the Antiquities Act.

For the common man it hardly even occurs to the treader that the hillock is indeed a grave. However, Ruohonen knows what to look for.

“The stones at the highest point of the hill cannot be there naturally. It is not possible because of the ice age. The stones are laid by man,” says Ruohonen.

The highest point of the rocky hill area is a typical location for a Bronze Age grave. The place has good visibility of the Aura River, whose bed in the river valley was much wider 3,000 years ago than it is today.

In Finland, the Bronze Age dates to the years 1500–500 before the start of the countdown.

Haaga’s coal stove is almost ten meters long and about seven meters wide. The height of the grave is currently only 20–40 centimeters. At the time of construction, the mound was probably higher and smaller in size, but over time the stones have spread over a wider area.

“To a layman’s eye, Haaga’s mound does not necessarily look anything special. That may be part of the reason why it was only found now. The berry picker is probably walking by,” says Ruohonen.

The like There are not many burial mounds known along the Aurajoki River. Most of the gas stoves in Northern Finland are closer to the coast.

Haaga’s coal stove is also exceptional in another way.

“When I found this, I felt a bit unreal. Researchers have thought that the Turku region and especially the Aurajokilaakso has been through well in the last 150 years. Now I got the feeling that how little we know when something like this can still be found,” Ruohonen describes his feelings.

In his opinion, the discovery of Haaga’s coal stove is a sign that not enough basic archaeological research has been done.

“Such people should no longer be found. The area should have been carefully studied a long time ago.”

Ruohonen estimates that the burial mound is probably intact. The more detailed study of the grave is affected by whether the researchers receive funding for it. Ordinary people are not allowed to go and excavate the ancient relic.

“You may not find anything in such graves. If something is found, it’s the burnt bones of one or more deceased people and sometimes also small metal objects and pieces of pottery,” says Ruohonen.

The reason is the Bronze Age method of cremation.

“The deceased was burned at the stake with objects. Burnt bones and objects were recovered and buried in a coal stove,” says Ruohonen.

According to the current understanding, coal stoves are the graves of important people such as family elders or chiefs.

Archaeological research from Ruohose to Haaga hiidenkiuka would complete the picture of the Bronze Age history of the Aurajoki valley. With the help of the research, it would also be possible to date the grave with an accuracy of about one hundred years.

“The graves indicate that the residences of the community of the buried were somewhere nearby. Bronze Age residences could be found,” Ruohonen estimates.

The Hague cup stones have also been found in the area this year. Another name for them is a sacrificial stone. They date back to the Iron Age, i.e. they are younger than coal stoves.

It’s about round holes carved into stone or rock.

“Sacrificial stones are perhaps the largest group of mystical ancient remains in Finland. Their purpose is not known,” says Ruohonen.

However, according to him, cup stones are thought to be places where people of the Iron Age sacrificed natural gifts for various life events. It has been speculated that the stones were also connected to rites of fertilizing fields.

The discovery of Bronze Age and Iron Age ancient remains close to each other in the same area indicates the continuity of the settlement.

“There has been continuous settlement in the region when these can be found side by side,” says Ruohonen.

Correction 7.12. 3:35 p.m.: In the story, it was written earlier that the Iron Age in Finland dates back to the years 1500–500 before the start of the countdown. However, this is the Bronze Age.