This discovery rewrites Finland's History regarding the Viking Age. No one knew that inland wilderness regions of Finland had international trade hubs during the Viking Age.
Though archeologists always knew that it was a possibility. It was just a matter of finding proof.
The viking response to a river is "Let's go there" and Finlands interior has a very large amount of rivers and lakes that you can navigate if you've got the kind of boats the vikings did.
Probably not a sami silver hoard since these are typically votive offerings (while there are coins in sami votive hoards, they're typically local and there is greater weight on jewelry)
Birch bark containers doesn't say much since birch bark was the preferred material for storing silver everywhere from western Scandinavia to east of Novgorod.
The betulin oil in birch bark slows down how fast silver tarnishes.
I kinda disagree, it's definitely something the Scandinavians did and were, and you'd think the Finns were mentioned by them more if they were in the "profession" alongside... it's too bad Iron Age Finland is so badly known historically.
According to vaurious Finnish news sources the cache was full of Scandinavian coins too, so the connection to the Viking World is proven. It might have been an unknown Baltic Finnish population center, which rewrites totally the whole image of Viking Age Finnish population anyway. The area is the core region of Tavastians, which is one of the three main tribes of Finland. This place might have been an international trade hub too, which is even much more mind-boggling idea.
I'm not sure it's really any more proof than the various Viking era swords and jewelries that have been found throughout Finland? Most of them having been manufactured in Francia or roughly that region.
I'd say the biggest surprise is that Vikings have presumably wandered that far inland with such a treasure.
I’m not sure one large hoard necessarily signifies a trade hub. That would have to be shown archaeologically.
In Scandinavia, trade hubs are characterized by a high density of loose finds and small hoards, often large numbers of graves and of course some kind of settlement remains. A surprising number of large hoards have been found on marginal land, suggesting that they’ve been buried away from population centers.
What? Actually I have been metal detectorist over 15 years and back in those days Sysmä definitely wasn't any wilderness what comes to population. Not to mention many other places around.
For example the biggest hill fortress in northern Europe is located in Rapola, Valkeakoski and it has been huge. It has good water ways to for example Sysmä. Btw there was about 300 known smaller fortresses around southern Finland.
So that discovery rewrites nothing. The problem in Finland is that Museovirasto has declared so many historic places protected without any excavations that most of the history isn't found yet. I'm very much pro protections but when Museovirasto is very poorly funded everything just stays in the ground.
There is just one excavation group in whole institute after they put down the other some years ago because of savings. Even developing countries invest more in their cultural history and I envy for example Baltics where every little town have their own museums with great findings. I mentioned Rapola before and even the fortress area has just 2% of it investigated. And the area is full of dog shit and trash.
One good example was when I found the whole new burial site near Vanajavesi. I found a perfect very rare fetterlocks key with rod chains and there was several signals around. I left them over there because I thought that museum wants to make better excavations. It was allmost ten years ago but nothing has happened and nothing propably will ever happen.
[OP] TinyAd1126 | a day ago
This discovery rewrites Finland's History regarding the Viking Age. No one knew that inland wilderness regions of Finland had international trade hubs during the Viking Age.
fiendishrabbit | a day ago
Though archeologists always knew that it was a possibility. It was just a matter of finding proof.
The viking response to a river is "Let's go there" and Finlands interior has a very large amount of rivers and lakes that you can navigate if you've got the kind of boats the vikings did.
CptPicard | 21 hours ago
Why does it have to be the Vikings instead of the locals?
fiendishrabbit | 21 hours ago
Sure. It could be a baltic finn horde.
Probably not a sami silver hoard since these are typically votive offerings (while there are coins in sami votive hoards, they're typically local and there is greater weight on jewelry)
Herkus- | 21 hours ago
It was found in birch bark containers, so most likely a local Finnic horde.
fiendishrabbit | 21 hours ago
Birch bark containers doesn't say much since birch bark was the preferred material for storing silver everywhere from western Scandinavia to east of Novgorod.
The betulin oil in birch bark slows down how fast silver tarnishes.
Squumpus | 17 hours ago
it's also good as kindling
Omateido | 20 hours ago
Reminder that Viking is a profession, not an ethnicity.
CptPicard | 18 hours ago
I kinda disagree, it's definitely something the Scandinavians did and were, and you'd think the Finns were mentioned by them more if they were in the "profession" alongside... it's too bad Iron Age Finland is so badly known historically.
Omateido | 12 hours ago
You can disagree all you want, doesn't change the fact that it's akin to saying "pirate" is an ethnicity. It's not.
[OP] TinyAd1126 | 13 hours ago
According to vaurious Finnish news sources the cache was full of Scandinavian coins too, so the connection to the Viking World is proven. It might have been an unknown Baltic Finnish population center, which rewrites totally the whole image of Viking Age Finnish population anyway. The area is the core region of Tavastians, which is one of the three main tribes of Finland. This place might have been an international trade hub too, which is even much more mind-boggling idea.
Jumpeee | 23 hours ago
I'm not sure it's really any more proof than the various Viking era swords and jewelries that have been found throughout Finland? Most of them having been manufactured in Francia or roughly that region.
I'd say the biggest surprise is that Vikings have presumably wandered that far inland with such a treasure.
Syndiotactics | 22 hours ago
Yep, the swords have been predominantly coastal finds
FingerGungHo | 19 hours ago
More likely that some trader brought the coins northward and buried them there. Maybe a pelt trader?
Arkeolog | 23 hours ago
I’m not sure one large hoard necessarily signifies a trade hub. That would have to be shown archaeologically.
In Scandinavia, trade hubs are characterized by a high density of loose finds and small hoards, often large numbers of graves and of course some kind of settlement remains. A surprising number of large hoards have been found on marginal land, suggesting that they’ve been buried away from population centers.
Altruistic-Many9270 | 18 hours ago
What? Actually I have been metal detectorist over 15 years and back in those days Sysmä definitely wasn't any wilderness what comes to population. Not to mention many other places around.
For example the biggest hill fortress in northern Europe is located in Rapola, Valkeakoski and it has been huge. It has good water ways to for example Sysmä. Btw there was about 300 known smaller fortresses around southern Finland.
So that discovery rewrites nothing. The problem in Finland is that Museovirasto has declared so many historic places protected without any excavations that most of the history isn't found yet. I'm very much pro protections but when Museovirasto is very poorly funded everything just stays in the ground.
There is just one excavation group in whole institute after they put down the other some years ago because of savings. Even developing countries invest more in their cultural history and I envy for example Baltics where every little town have their own museums with great findings. I mentioned Rapola before and even the fortress area has just 2% of it investigated. And the area is full of dog shit and trash.
One good example was when I found the whole new burial site near Vanajavesi. I found a perfect very rare fetterlocks key with rod chains and there was several signals around. I left them over there because I thought that museum wants to make better excavations. It was allmost ten years ago but nothing has happened and nothing propably will ever happen.
NoPainMoreGain | 15 hours ago
I didn't know the situation in Finland was that grim.
jordanwiththefade | 21 hours ago
I imagine Lance & Andy having a toast reading this.