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About 5500 years old grave found

The first Stone Age burial of Kierikki area was discovered last Friday from Kierikkikangas, excavation site near by Kierikki centre. About two metres long and less than one metre wide area within sandy soil was interpreted as a grave. Because of red colour the area of the grave was clearly visible. The red colour is due to use of red ochre as part of burial rituals. Next to the grave also a great amount of pieces of clay vessels have been found.

This year’s excavations at Kierikkikangas site were started during early May with a group of high school students, with archaeologist Sami Viljanmaa as their leader. The excavations continue the work started already in 2006 and in 2007. The grave will be excavated during June mainly by archaeologists of the Kierikki centre. The find itself is important when discussing phases of inhabitation in Stone Age Kierikki. Burials are something archaeologists have been looking for through the research history of the area. In Finland Stone Age burials are rarely discovered during excavations. The nearest burial from that time is from Ylikiiminki.

As in earlier years, also in this summer beginning from July Kierikki centre’s visitors are welcome to participate excavations.   

 

 

 

Friday 13th of July 2007 was the lucky day at Kierikki Excavation

Beside the main building of Kierikki Centre on a site called "Kierikkikangas"  there has been an excavation from June 25th to 3rd August . There have been five British students working who came via Leonardo da Vinci -exchange program of European Union. Besides them also the general public was able to take part in this exciting excvation centred on the Neolithic period, c. 4000-5000 BC. The results of the dig have been excellent throughout this year.

Miss Sarah Pickin from Derby has been the favourite of fortune. She has found a
piece of "Neolithic chewing gum", chewed cob of birch-bark, part of an amber ring and found on Thursday July 12th with help of two diggers from Oulu, Ms. Rumana Hossein and Ms. Maisoun Alsanat.

Originally the diameter of it was four centimetres but probably was already broken in the Stone Age. After that someone made a hole in the ring so that it could still be used as jewellery. It was transported from the Baltic coast c. 5500-6000 years ago as payment for seal skins that were produced in the Kierikki area in the Neolithic Period.

This was the third piece of amber that was found at the Kierikkikangas site, two pearls were found were found last year, also with the help of British students. 

On Friday 13th Sarah also found a beautiful c. four centimetre long worked slate arrow which is from the so-called "Typical Comb Ceramic period" 3500-4000 BC. 

On Friday there was also a place found where evidence of quartz knapping was predominant.  During this and last years excavation it has become increasingly possible to piece together a picture of the daily life of people who lived in the Neolithic period in Northern Finland, including hunting, fishing and trade.

 

                     

Part of the amber ring 

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Kierikki Stone Age Centre
Pahkalantie 447
FIN-91200 YLI-II
Tel.: +358 (0)8 8170 490
Fax: +358 (0)8 8170 494
_{asiakaspalvelu@kierikki.fi}

 

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