Maritime Archaeology in Finland: History and Future Tasks

Marko Marila,Kristin Ilves

doi:10.1007/s11457-021-09303-2

Abstract

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 in-depth 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.

Highlights

Archaeology in Finland—terrestrial and maritime—shares a close history with the development of cultural heritage management
I.e., at the University of Helsinki, where archaeology has been taught since the late 1870s, and those falling under the category of heritage management, most notably handled by the Finnish Heritage Agency, the central organization responsible for the protection and management of cultural heritage in Finland, were largely shared until the 1960s
The teaching of maritime archaeology in Finnish higher education did not emerge until the early 1990s, and between the 1960s and the 1990s Finnish underwater heritage management was totally dependent on volunteer hobby divers

Summary

Introduction

Archaeology in Finland—terrestrial and maritime—shares a close history with the development of cultural heritage management. With the divergence of heritage management and research, the tasks of heritage management were clearly directed toward monitoring, protecting, maintaining, preserving, and making decisions about ancient monuments, while research was no longer carried out within that framework and was instead conducted at the universities. While this led to increased opportunities for archaeological research related to heritage on land, the same was not the case with maritime, especially underwater, archaeology. The close ties between heritage management and hobby divers were forged during those early formative decades, and today Finnish maritime archaeology continues to rely heavily on the input of avocational diving societies and individual volunteers

Objectives

Conclusion