Kristin Ilves | University of Helsinki (original) (raw)

Books by Kristin Ilves

This edited volume delves into the current state of Iron Age and Early Medieval research in the N... more This edited volume delves into the current state of Iron Age and Early Medieval research in the North. Over the last two decades of archaeological explorations, theoretical vanguards, and introduction of new methodological strategies, together with a growing amount of critical studies in archaeology taking their stance from a multidisciplinary perspective, have dramatically changed our understanding of Northern Iron Age societies. The profound effect of 6th century climatic events on social structures in Northern Europe, a reintegration of written sources and archaeological material, genetic and isotopic studies entirely reinterpreting previously excavated grave material, are but a few examples of such land winnings. The aim of this book is to provide an intense and cohesive focus on the characteristics of contemporary Iron Age research; explored under the subheadings of field and methodology, settlement and spatiality, text and translation, and interaction and impact. Gathering the work of leading, established researchers and field archaeologists based throughout northern Europe and in the frontline of this new emerging image, this volume provides a collective summary of our current understandings of the Iron Age and Early Medieval Era in the North. It also facilitates a renewed interaction between academia and the ever-growing field of infrastructural archaeology, by integrating cutting edge fieldwork and developing field methods in the corpus of Iron Age and Early Medieval studies. In this book, many hypotheses are pushed forward from their expected outcomes, and analytical work is not afraid of taking risks, thus advancing the field of Iron Age research, and also, hopefully, inspiring to a continued creation of new knowledge.

Papers by Kristin Ilves

Public Archaeology, 2023

In 2019-21, research was carried out at the University of Helsinki regarding the development of t... more In 2019-21, research was carried out at the University of Helsinki regarding the development of the degree programme in maritime archaeology. To develop the teaching of the programme, we designed and launched an online learning platform. The platform, entitled 'Perspectives in Maritime Archaeology', consists of lectures by international experts and literature on a variety of topics ranging from boatbuilding to seamanship and from trade and exploration to public outreach and contemporary art. The purpose of the platform was to convey a broad image of the discipline and promote multidisciplinary thinking among students. To assess the success of the platform in achieving this objective, we conducted surveys on student expectations and satisfaction as well as on (potential) changes in the perceived image of maritime archaeology. We discovered that a kaleidoscopic and eclectic approach to teaching maritime archaeology online made the topic more interesting to the students and helped them understand the variety and importance of different approaches to researching maritime archaeology. In this article, we report the findings of our research on the development of online learning and discuss them in the wider context of higher education in maritime archaeology. We conclude with a reflection on the potential use of poetry and metaphor in teaching holistically about the cognitive and cultural relevance of water.

Acta Borealia 40(2), 2023

The quantitative archaeological record of the Åland Islands (Finland) indicates a population boom... more The quantitative archaeological record of the Åland Islands (Finland) indicates a population boom in the mid-sixth century CE. Yet the number of palynological investigations on Åland is limited, resulting in a knowledge gap of anthropogenic landscape modification generated by the land use that followed the increased population. This article presents the results of a pollen analysis from Lake Lavsböle Träsk in central Åland, covering the period from the end of the Bronze Age into the modern period. The results of this study provide evidence of continuous land use throughout the Iron Age and the medieval period, and the population boom during the sixth century CE is indicated in the pollen signal. Altogether we argue for an economy based on cereal cultivation, animal husbandry, and maritime resource utilization (e.g. seal hunting, fishing, and fowling) as well as trading. The results indicate a society able to manage risks connected to their subsistence strategies, in which versatility seems to have had a key role.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 47, 2023

Microscopic animal and plant fibres detected in archaeological contexts are a valuable source of ... more Microscopic animal and plant fibres detected in archaeological contexts are a valuable source of information regarding textile production, use-histories of artefacts and in studying mortuary practices. At the same time, recent research on microplastic pollution has revealed the ability of fibres to move even long distances and accumulate in various terrestrial and aquatic contexts. In this paper we discuss the accumulation of 100-1000µm-long animal hairs, bird feather barbules and textile fibres at Kvarnbo Hall, a Nordic Late Iron Age high-status settlement site in the Åland Archipelago, Finland. The hairs and barbules detected in soil samples reveal important information on the use of furs and downy feathers at the site. However, our study reveals that the microparticles sampled in the 6th-11th-century contexts represent not only the prehistoric phase of the site but can also be ascribed to the later land-use history of the area. We also speculate that long-distance airborne particles might be one possible contamination source of fibres.

Åländsk odling : årsbok 73, 2022

Åländsk Odling: årsbok 73, 2022

Fortifications in their Natural and Cultural Landscape: From Organising Space to the Creation of Power, 2022

There are six hillforts on the Åland Islands-the large archipelago situated strategically amidst ... more There are six hillforts on the Åland Islands-the large archipelago situated strategically amidst the Baltic Sea. All six are estimated to belong to the Late Iron Age (AD 550-1050), i.e. to the period when the archipelago saw its greatest increase in human population and activity, following a large-scale colonisation process prompted by the global climatic disturbances of the 6 th century AD. The hillforts, situated on bedrock hilltops and characterised by dry-stone walls built next to natural barriers, were located on different islands, but not all were closely connected to the coast and/or related to sea routes. Nor can the hillforts of this clearly restricted geographical setting be unambiguously connected to any clear or uniform settlement pattern. Although Late Iron Age Åland witnessed its greatest economic affluence as a result of the eastern expansion from Scandinavia, the region has generally been viewed as a peripheral area with a very marginal level of political complexity. However, recent research indicates that the view of Åland as a political periphery is in need of reconsideration. The period initiated by the migration of new communities into a region already populated was apparently a 'golden age' for the islands, and was distinguished by the construction of a new identity. Due to differences in the rich Late Iron Age archaeological material within the archipelago, there is also a growing amount of research suggesting that Åland consisted of different polities at that time. In this study, I will discuss the setting of Ålandic hillforts in the natural and cultural landscape, and will explore whether they can be regarded as symbolic manifestations of separate polities, i.e. organised groups with social hierarchies and conventions of conduct differentiating themselves from other organised groups.

Journal of Field Archaeology, 2022

We present geochemical data of soils sampled from two Late Iron Age (A.D. 550-1050) buildings at ... more We present geochemical data of soils sampled from two Late Iron Age (A.D. 550-1050) buildings at Bartsgårda on the Åland Islands, Finland. The houses had different constructions and use-patterns, one being an intensively used dwelling house, rich in finds, whereas the other, scarce in finds, had a more specialized character, linked to ceremonial rather than domestic activities. Systematic and targeted feature sampling was carried out to analyze 190 samples using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (ED-XRF) to 1) identify floor/activity levels in the houses based on vertical and horizontal geochemical anomalies; 2) compare the anthropogenic activity signals of the buildings; and, 3) test a rapid and cost-efficient ex situ analytical strategy for geochemical characterization of archaeological soils. Although the long-term use of the site as a livestock paddock introduced some complexities, based on the geochemical and micromorphological data, the houses had several activity levels and markedly different anthropogenic profiles.

Environmental Archaeology, 2022

In this study, presenting pollen, charcoal, and “soot”-particle records from a lacustrine sedimen... more In this study, presenting pollen, charcoal, and “soot”-particle records from a lacustrine sediment core, the development of the cultural landscape around Lake Dalkarby träsk on the Åland Islands in Finland is scrutinized and discussed within a broad temporal setting in order to clarify the long-term interplay between the environment and human activities in this part of the archipelago. Special emphasis is given to the transition period from the Late Iron Age to the medieval times due to the dominating humanistic discourse on the settlement dynamics in this region, as in the Åland archipelago in general, arguing for an approximately 150-years-long hiatus in habitation between these two periods, from AD 1050 to 1200. Our results do not support the theories of the hiatus in habitation, but show a long and continuous history of the utilization of land and forest resources starting from prehistoric times. The forests were first cleared with fire for slash-and-burn cultivation. Thereafter, structural diversity in the landscape started to increase. By 1240, the pollen data portrays a picture of a developed agrarian community with a subsistence economy based on arable farming and animal husbandry in which hemp seems to play a substantial part.

Oodeja Mikalle. Professori Mika Lavennon juhlakirja hänen täyttäessä 60 vuotta / Odes to Mika. Professor Mika Lavento’s Festschrift as he turns 60 years old, 2022

The article analyses representations of maritime archaeology in 136 newspaper articles published ... more The article analyses representations of maritime archaeology in 136 newspaper articles published in Helsingin Sanomat and Hufvudstadsbladet between 2017 and 2020. In both newspapers, maritime archaeology is dominantly represented through underwater (nautical) source material. This corresponds with the focus in Finnish maritime archaeological research where sites and materials situated on land receive less attention. Following on from these observations, it is argued that the maritime cultural heritage on land remains an untapped research potential. As increasingly attractive tokens of maritime heritage on land, special attention is paid to the phenomenology of lighthouses.

Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage, 2022

In this article, I argue for the value of community inclusion, transparency, and engagement in ef... more In this article, I argue for the value of community inclusion, transparency, and engagement in efforts to change attitudes towards archaeology, using a case from Åland, an autonomous archipelago in the Baltic Sea. With its own legislation concerning the protection of archaeological sites, archaeology on Åland has been a contentious subject for decades. This culminated in 2013 with the controversial trial and conviction of a family for severely and knowingly damaging one of the Stone Age sites on Åland. Against this backdrop, I initiated a project concerning an Iron Age settlement site. I discuss my experience of setting up an independent research project with a focus on publicly engaged archaeology and storytelling within an initially hostile framework, and in a region where archaeology is highly professionalized. The article also illustrates how friction around a community-oriented project can arise between stakeholders as a result of the social dynamics of archaeology itself.

International Journal of Maritime History, 2021

This article examines the emergence of the nineteenth-century Ålandic peasant yacht within the la... more This article examines the emergence of the nineteenth-century Ålandic peasant yacht within the larger political, economic and social context of the central and northern Baltic Sea region. Through an analysis of the region's fluctuating and changing trading environment following the Finnish War of 1808-1809, it is demonstrated that the increasing uncertainty, as well as decreasing profitability, of previously stable trading relations provided the necessary impetus to change the traditional vessel design. Avenues for both foreign and domestic innovations are examined. In addition to exogenous influences, wherein the role of the Ålandic peasant sailors' involvement in the Swedish navy is accentuated, the effects of the increasing smuggling activities of the archipelago's inhabitants and the competitive sailing environment that emerged during trading journeys are considered as factors that possibly affected shipbuilding. The results highlight the complex networks and processes through which innovations are generated, transmitted and adopted.

Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 2021

This article provides an account of the history, present state, and possible future directions of... more This article provides an account of the history, present state, and possible future directions of Finnish maritime archaeology in order to elucidate certain aspects characteristic of the field. In the Finnish context, academia and the heritage sector are historically interconnected, and professionals have successfully assumed responsibilities in both. Research opportunities, however, have been more numerous at the Finnish Heritage Agency (FHA) than in academia, whereas the focus has been on well-preserved wrecks mainly from seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This can be explained by the great number of registered shipwrecks from the historical periods being managed by the FHA. Well-preserved shipwrecks are also central for hobby divers' interest that has been historically paramount for the development of the field. At the same time, discontinuities in academic training of maritime archaeologists have created a situation where opportunities for long-term and indepth research at universities have been few. Future prospects of Finnish maritime archaeology are discussed with respect to the current state, and the interconnectedness of the heritage management sector, academically trained maritime archaeologists, and avocational diving societies and volunteers is emphasised as a key element in continued development.

Internet Archaeology 56, 2021

This article analyses Finnish maritime archaeology through a compiled bibliography of 621 scienti... more This article analyses Finnish maritime archaeology through a compiled bibliography of 621 scientific and popular works published between 1942-2020. General trends and turning points in the history of the discipline are identified and discussed visa -vis temporal and topical foci discerned in the publications. Special attention is drawn to the concentration in Finnish research on shipwrecks from the historical period, and the low international visibility of scientific production is problematised. While largescale projects have been carried out in Finnish maritime archaeology, knowledge production within the authorised heritage discourse in particular has aimed to fulfil the needs of local and national rather than international audiences. Our compiled bibliography, which is hereby made available to the wider research community, has potential to become a valuable tool for identifying and developing future research areas.

Public Archaeology, 2023

Acta Borealia 40(2), 2023

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 47, 2023

Åländsk odling : årsbok 73, 2022

Åländsk Odling: årsbok 73, 2022

Fortifications in their Natural and Cultural Landscape: From Organising Space to the Creation of Power, 2022

Journal of Field Archaeology, 2022

Environmental Archaeology, 2022

Oodeja Mikalle. Professori Mika Lavennon juhlakirja hänen täyttäessä 60 vuotta / Odes to Mika. Professor Mika Lavento’s Festschrift as he turns 60 years old, 2022

Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage, 2022

International Journal of Maritime History, 2021

Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 2021

Internet Archaeology 56, 2021

Muinaistutkija, 2020

Björn Cederhvarf är mest känd för sina utgrävningar på Jettböle stenåldersboplats i Jomala, men i... more Björn Cederhvarf är mest känd för sina utgrävningar på Jettböle stenåldersboplats i Jomala, men i början av 1900-talet gjorde han även undersökningar på över hundra lokaler från yngre järnålder på Åland. Trots att majoriteten av dessa aldrig avrapporterades, är det möjligt att skapa sig en uppfatning om betydelsen av hans arbete utgående från fältdokumentationen i Museiverkets arkiv. I arkivmaterialet framgår det att Cederhvarf identifierade en grupp stora järnåldersboplatser på Åland, på vilka det går att urskilja ett flertal husgrunder. Bartsgårda i Finström (Fi 2.1) är en av dessa boplatser, som även undersökts av Cederhvarf. Cirka 30 husgrunder har år 1905 märkts ut på översiktskartan över Bartsgårda. Många är ännu synliga i terrängen. Vi utförde en terrester laserskanning på lokalen, vilken visar att översiktskartan är mycket exakt. På grund av den betydande bristen på rapporter och publikationer begravdes Cederhvarfs observationer i arkivens gömmor, och har som regel inte haft möjlighet att påverka diskussionen som förts om Ålands järnålder. I artikeln återvänder vi till Cederhvarfs järnålder.

Fennoscandia archaeologica, 2019

In this article, it is suggested that finds of clay paws recovered from the Late Iron Age burials... more In this article, it is suggested that finds of clay paws recovered from the Late Iron Age burials on the Åland Islands, Finland, should be identified with seals rather than bear or beaver, as previously often proposed. The clay paw burial rite is a distinctly Ålandic innovation, emerging in connection with a 6th century AD colonization of the archipelago. This colonization has recently been explained within a framework of global climatic disturbances, where Åland is proposed to have functioned as a refuge due to an ample availability of maritime resources, in particular seals. This provides the background and context to the emergence of the clay paw rite and circumvents much of the earlier confusion regarding these curious objects.

Fennoscandia Archaeologica, 2018

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of Late Iron Age (AD 550-... more This article provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of Late Iron Age (AD 550-1050) and early medieval (AD 1050-1300) stone foundation houses and sites on the Åland Islands. More than a quarter of known houses and sites have been subjected to archaeological excavation, most of them over 50 years ago. Many investigations have not been published and research is suffering from speculative and loosely founded generalizations covering long periods of time. In this article, I will compile and compare the excavated and documented stone foundation house sites to each other, examining their differences and shared similarities providing a qualitative description. The lack of solid chronology is a major obstacle in drawing conclusions of a more general character. New radiocarbon dates are presented from the seven stone foundation houses at the settlement site in Kulla, reliably anchoring this site and its chronology.

![Research paper thumbnail of LAC 2024 - Call for papers: Session #33 'Maritime Frontiers: insular landscapes, agency, and identity`](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/110585414/thumbnails/1.jpg)

The archaeology of insular landscapes has focused on boundaries and borderlands. Often viewed as ... more The archaeology of insular landscapes has focused on boundaries and borderlands. Often viewed as peripheral spaces defined in relation to their degree of isolation or interaction with the mainland, islands have yet to be analysed as landscapes of ‘resistance’ and ‘opportunity’.
The power dynamics used in current models of interaction ascribes a passive role to islanders, while geopolitically-central regions in the neighboring mainland areas emerge as pro-active agents of change and interaction, of connections and disconnections imposed on island populations. Yet, the maritime frontier presented by insular landscapes bestows upon island communities hypermobility (when nautical technological solutions and knowledge have been developed), unbounded space, and access to seafaring networks that may extend across regions, three aspects that can nurture local autonomy and agency. Changing the focus from mainland to island, is it possible to explore insular landscapes as spaces of resistance or compliance defined by the agency of islanders?
A relatively new way of flipping the script in these terms has emerged in Southeast Asian scholarship through the concept of “zomia,” popularized by James C. Scott in “The Art of Not Being Governed: an Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia” (2009). Although it originally refers to a large massif in mainland Southeast Asia whose elevated and rugged terrain has been home to minority groups that have historically avoided control and influence of states, “zomia” has now been redefined to describe regions whose geographic and environmental conditions enabled communities to craft their own social worlds while deliberately putting distance between themselves and systems of central authority.
In the preface to the book, Scott recognizes the need to expand the term to the maritime frontier, where societies could evade or stave off central authority equally, if not better than, in the rugged terrain of upland Southeast Asia. In this session, we want to pursue this discussion and examine the validity of shifting the narrative of island archaeology to one that is focused on agency, autonomy, and resistance of island communities. We invite papers that examine insular landscapes as zones of resistance and opportunity, exploring how the resources, the topography, and the environment of these landscapes may have been harnessed by island communities to develop a strong sense of independence and identity guided by their own agency. We also aim to explore the role of these spaces in their own right as havens in times of social and environmental crises, as places where communities could seek refuge, and where those newcomers could add, change, and develop landscapes and identities.

Any northerner is familiar with the transformative power of snow and ice that are literally creat... more Any northerner is familiar with the transformative power of snow and ice that are literally creating different geographies in northern landscapes. There are even seasonal geographical features such as sea ice ridges forming every winter, sometimes given local place names of their own. Snow, ice and cold are part of a physical reality that has defined both personal and cultural identity of northerners as well as the identity of places. Yet the possibilities of the winter landscape remain largely unexplored in archaeological research. Today, snow often creates chaos in transportation, frustrating rail commuters and travellers, and frozen waters are perceived to be void of motion hindering the movement of ships and the materials they contain. Historically, however, the northern winter roads on ice and snow were of utmost importance and freezing of the ground awaited. Compared to summer, long northern winters made it possible to utilize shorter networks through faster winter roads. Military campaigns in winter have been constitutive elements in the history of several Nordic regions. Frost-nails, mounts for shoes and horseshoes to protect from slipping on ice are the strongest and most frequent archaeological evidence associated with winter, snow, and ice. Archaeologists are also increasingly discovering skis, skates, sledges, and sleighs as well as remains of winter hay barns and trapping systems. Researchers are becoming more alert to archaeological signatures of day-today life in snowy landscapes. Far from isolating, the frozen landscape provides ice roads and snowy transport routes, lays the ground for sociability, winter fairs and markets, facilitates lumbering, hunting, and trapping, and even war. It connects islands with the mainland, but also forces ships to shore. In the far north, winter commands darkness and demands light. In this session we invite expeditions into the northern winter landscape, both physical and conceptual.

Strongholds-places fortified in one way or the other-were social, economic and religious centres ... more Strongholds-places fortified in one way or the other-were social, economic and religious centres for large territories, as well as for smaller, local units. There is no doubt that the location of these centres within their landscape was chosen with considerable care addressing their intended function. We find strongholds being built in the centres, but also at the peripheries of densely populated areas; strongholds are present in marginal regions, too. Strongholds have been situated along as well as at the crossroads of transit routes, both regarding waterways and roads on land. Strongholds are in naturally protected locations, such as islands, lowlands and promontories, but often, the landscape has been modified to facilitate a stronghold. Due to such a cultural and geographical variety, it can be hypothesized that the investigation of the particular situation of strongholds within their landscape might indicate the specific function of the single site. More importantly, however, such investigations also enable-especially under the application of landscape analyses-a reconstruction of possible stronghold networks. These studies facilitate the creation of new knowledge concerning the use of 'stronghold landscape' across time and space, and help us to understand how societies using strongholds have been adapting these to the landscape and/or vice versa. Furthermore, the erection of fortifications is closely linked with human interaction. Strongholds are always combining real protective functions with demonstrative, symbolic functions. The setting of strongholds in the natural or cultural landscape, respectively, seems to be a key issue for understanding the purpose of their founders. Is it possible to distinguish aggressive from defensive intentions? In what way strongholds reflect phases of raising conflicts or, on the contrary, of conciliation? What was the contemporary perception of strongholds in the landscape like? Which role did abandoned strongholds play? The purpose for this session is to present a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in strongholds within their cultural landscape. In addition, the session aims to summarize and reflect upon the intentions for the establishment of strongholds on particular locations: what reasons were predominant for the situation-functional or strategic, or were strongholds mainly aiming to be just a demonstration of power? In this session, we welcome submissions presenting best practice examples of investigating the landscape of strongholds from different geographical and temporal settings of Europe.