The materiality of odors:experiencing church burials and the urban environment in early modern Northern Sweden

Abstract Archaeological material from early modern Sweden reveals that material and social meaning was intertwined in townscape odors; that is, odors and their association with unhygienic conditions affected the physical structure of the town, its material culture, and different traditions in the use of “townspace.” During the latter half of the 18th century, the town of Oulu suffered from unpleasant smells related to ponds and wet areas, and the odor of decomposing flesh from under-floor church burials greeted church visitors, despite the tradition of placing fragrant plants inside coffins. In the 18th century the town underwent deliberate changes: the ponds were drained and filled, burials under the church floor were prohibited, and one of the first graveyards located outside the town and separate from the church was constructed. These actions to change the town’s “smellscape” reflect emergent notions of regularity and cleanliness related to the Age of Enlightenment

Introduction:studying under-floor church burials in Finland — challenges in stewarding the past for the future

Abstract Two ongoing projects at the University of Oulu, Finland, are studying burials situated below the floorboards of Finnish churches. The projects examine mortality and materiality in Finland using an exceptionally well-preserved assemblage of mummified human remains. Multidisciplinary research methods, including CT scanning, μCT scanning, sampling for DNA and isotope analysis, and insect and plant samples, are providing multifaceted information concerning past societies. The samples provide rich insight into the material dimensions of mortality in northern Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since the studied material is located under the floors of church buildings that are still in use by congregations, obtaining permits for research and sampling has required managing relationships with separate parishes. This article outlines the projects and examines the ethical and legal dimensions of research on human remains conducted in partnership with individual parishes

Memorialization and heritagization:investigating the site of the last execution by hanging in Finland

Abstract This article focuses on the processes of memorialization and heritagization through a case study from Oulu, Finland, where a cast-iron rail encircling a pine tree constitutes a memorial marking the site of the country’s last official execution by hanging in 1916. The memorial and its immediate surroundings are examined here through historical documents and maps, tree-ring data, interviews, and the results of small-scale archaeological excavations. The evidence indicates various modes of interaction—crosses carved on the memorial tree, a magical cache, finds pertaining mainly to the consumption of intoxicating substances—exposing a lesser-known and more intimate side of the site biography than is evident from written records. Finally, both individual and national practices of remembering and forgetting related to the memorial highlight the way memorialization transformed the death of an ordinary man into a nationalistic symbol to be used and exploited in various quarters during the past century

Pappissäädyn haudat Pohjois-Pohjanmaan kirkkojen lattioiden alla:tapaustutkimuksia 1300–1700-luvuilta

Abstrakti Aina 1800-luvun alkupuolelle saakka Suomessa oli tapana haudata yhteisöjen korkeimmassa asemassa olevat henkilöt kirkkojen lattioiden alle. Eri puolilla Suomea, erityisesti Pohjois-Suomessa, näitä kirkkohautauksia on säilynyt erinomaisessa kunnossa, mikä on mahdollistanut niiden tarkan analysoinnin. Tässä artikkelissa perehdymme pappien ja heidän perheidensä hautauksiin 1300–1700-luvuilta. Pohdimme papillisiin kirkkohautauksiin liittyviä perinteitä erityisesti pappien aseman näkökulmasta sekä miten pappien asema näkyi heidän perheenjäsentensä hautauksissa. Varhaisimmat pappeihin yhdistettävät hautaukset on löydetty Keminmaan Valmarinniemestä. Nämä nuoret aikuiset on haudattu Kristus-aiheiset sormukset käsissään. Kuuluisin suomalainen kirkkohautaus kuuluu Kemin kirkkoherralle Nikolaus Rungiukselle (noin 1560–1629), jonka muumioituneet jäännökset ovat nähtävillä Keminmaan keskiaikaisessa kirkossa. Hänen hauta-asuaan, elintapojaan ja ruokavaliotaan koskevat tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että hän eli yltäkylläistä elämää, jota ei suinkaan haluttu peitellä hautajaisten aikana. Myös pappien lapset saivat isänsä aseman mukaisen hautauksen. Tämän voimme todeta Haukiputaan kirkon alle haudattujen kappalainen Frosteruksen lasten hautojen perusteella. Haudattujen yhteiskunnallisen statuksen lisäksi kirkkohautojen tarkastelu avaa mahdollisuuden ymmärtää myös niitä uskonnollisia lähtökohtia, joiden perusteella vainajat ja arkut valmistettiin hautaamista ja ylösnousemusta varten

Preparing children’s burials in postmedieval Finland:emotions awakened by sensory experiences

Abstract Examination of northern Finnish postmedieval funerary attire and coffins reveals culturally constructed sensory experiences and emotions of the individuals who took care of preparing dead children for burial. Based on historical sources, the attire and coffins for small children were generally made by adolescent godparents, whereas dressing and handling of the dead bodies were left to mature women. Because of their beliefs, parents rarely took care of these duties. Archaeological funerary remains provide an avenue through which to explore the sensory experiences of social groups with strongly held religious beliefs and conceptions regarding the dead and the deceased. Common features in the burials allow the interpretation of emotional patterns and collective memories of contemporary people from three starting points: sleep and eternal life, the innocence of children, and coping mechanisms dealing with child deaths

Possible case of partial postmortem fetal extrusion:preliminary observations on the mummified remains of a turnof-the-19th-century noblewoman in Finland

Abstract We report a plausible case of partial postmortem fetal extrusion dating to the turn of the 19th century. A fetal skull protruded from the obstetric canal of the partially mummified remains of an adult woman buried in a private burial chapel in Vihti, South Finland. The fetal size implies the mother having died during the early third trimester of her pregnancy. The cause of death was not obvious from the limited external examination of her remains, but the underdeveloped state of the fetal remains renders it unlikely that this case represents a maternal death resulting from dystocia. Rather, the finding should be interpreted as a case of partial postmortem fetal extrusion, a process probably interrupted by decelerated decomposition of the maternal remains before full expulsion of the fetus

Rauhassa metsän suojassa:Haukiputaan vanha hautausmaa muistojen ja muistamisen paikkana

Abstract The old cemetery of Haukipudas has been an intact resting place for past local generations for the last 130 years. The fenced area next to Haukipudas Church is forested, but it is not completely forgotten. The last burials in this cemetery are from the year 1890, when a new cemetery still is in use today was inaugurated. However, the old cemetery was never officially closed down. Anthropological and archaeological research in the cemetery has revealed different ways how individuals and local community remembered the deceased. Multidisciplinary and diverse source material — church archives, old maps, vegetation survey, ground penetrating radar, documentation of grave monuments, and interviews with local informants — together create an image of the place that remains important to the locals. Memory is the theoretical framework that combines the results obtained from the various sources and methods. Old maps, archival sources, and vegetation surveys revealed the oldest parts of the cemetery dating from the 18th century. Partly paved pathways taken over by vegetation tell the past routes and layout of the cemetery. The main path cutting the cemetery in two halves had a straight connection to the nearby church. The meaning of the cemetery is diverse for different people, which is also seen in the vegetation. For some, the cemetery is a holy place and for others, a forest. The stories of the local informants bring out memories of communality and kinship. In addition, the interviewees are exploring their views on how the memory of the old cemetery should be cherished and strengthened in the future. The cemetery has been kept as it once was without any major changes and reorganisations. The research and its results provide an opportunity to plan the possible introduction of the site as a partial urn cemetery, considering the history of the area

Temperature and humidity in the base-floors of three northern Finnish churches containing 17th–19th-century burials

Abstract Natural mummification occurs in various favorable conditions. Cold environments have produced mummified human remains in northern Finland. These remains buried under the church floors mummified naturally probably through a process resembling freeze-drying. This chapter explores the conditions that led to the mummification of dozens and potentially hundreds of human remains. To conduct our study, we installed logging temperature and humidity measuring devices under the floors of three churches located by the shore of Bothnian Bay in northern Finland. Even our preliminary results show that the humidity and temperature conditions differ between these churches. It is also clear that relative humidity remains very high under the floors of each church. It appears that mummification has occurred in almost “cellar like” conditions. The preservation process was probably aided by the loose laid constructions allowing the air to freely move in the graves carrying the moisture from the remains