New horizon in understanding Finnish Iron Age material culture through metal-detected finds

Abstract

This article examines the scientific and cultural heritage management opportunities and challenges that have arisen in Finland owing to the growing popularity of recreational metal detecting. We will first introduce the phenomenon as it has developed over the last decade and then discuss public finds as characterful cultural heritage data, examining their archaeological potential as well as the biases that arise from the manner this material has been acquired. We will provide a large-scale overview of geographical and temporal patterns that emerge from the data through computational analysis, and argue it possesses significant and still mostly untapped potential to enhance our understanding of the Finnish past. As a special case study, we will analyse the distribution of select Late Iron Age (AD 800-1200/1300) female dress accessory types recovered in southern Finland, considering them as expressions of regional material cultures and as evidence of interregional and even international connections in the past.