In a house in the municipality of Salo, in Finland, some workers were excavating the huge backyard to install geothermal pipes. They had dug a long trench and piled the remaining earth into a large pile. The owner of the hamlet decided to approach the place to see how the works were progressing when, suddenly, he noticed something that stood out.
As he approached he noticed that it was a piece of iron and when he took it out he found that he was holding an almost complete knight’s sword. He quickly contacted Juha Ruohonen, professor of archeology at the University of Turku, who explained that the weapon is from the time of the crusades, typical of the period between the years 1050 and 1150.
The sword has a straight bar-shaped guard and a three-sided oval pommel. But the truth is that this object was just the tip of the iceberg. In this place near the medieval gray granite church of Pertteli there were still many things to discover.
When the archaeologists went to the site and began to excavate, they were very surprised. Little by little they discovered an extensive field of tombs, with dozens and perhaps hundreds of graves that belonged to a cemetery that was probably in use in the 12th or 13th century.
It was during this period that the Swedish Crusades took place, a series of expeditions, traditionally considered to have begun around 1150 and continued until the end of the 13th century, during which the Swedish Crown and the Catholic Church extended and strengthened control over much of what is now Finland.
In early September, a preliminary exploration by Ruohonen and a group of archeology students from the University of Turku revealed a number of artifacts in the trenches excavated for the geothermal facility. They include parts of another sword, remains of wooden coffins and human bones.
However, their most notable find was the remains of a leather belt decorated with bronze ornaments. Thirty square bronze plates decorated with rosette motifs had been placed on the piece, as well as several cross-shaped pendants.
“The belt also included a buckle, several prongs, animal head ornaments and strap dividers. The leather parts of the belt are partially preserved. In addition, the bronze ornaments still show many fragments of attached fabric, remains of the clothing of the deceased,” explains Ruohonen.
According to researchers, this is the first confirmed discovery of a tomb dating back to the end of the Iron Age in the Salonjoki River Valley. Surprisingly, closer examination of the site showed that the archaeologists were looking at more than one tomb.
In total eight were discovered, but it is estimated that the site may contain dozens more burial spaces, possibly up to two hundred. In Finland, Ruohonen says in a statement, there are fewer known cemeteries containing inhumations from the time of the Crusades than cremation tombs from before the Iron Age.
The deceased in this newly discovered cemetery were buried according to Christian customs, which would indicate that a good part of the conversion of the Finnish pagans, the main objective of the Crusade carried out by Sweden, had already been carried out.
“The location of the site, in the vicinity of a medieval stone church, can be regarded as evidence of a much earlier ecclesiastical organization in the area than previously believed. The parish of Pertteli was thought to have been established with the founding of Uskela, a 15th century chapel,” says the archaeologist.
Among the recovered objects, a bone has been found, which is being radiocarbon dated. The belt and a knife sheath are being x-rayed, studied and preserved. The investigation will continue at least until early 2024.
