Finland is one of the coldest, most northerly countries in the world.  By some measures it may be the coldest country of all.  Every winter the Baltic Sea freezes over!  Katajanokka, Helsinki…
**Helsinki** is not the ancient capital of Finland.  Most of it was built in the 19th century, and so it has that century’s sense of grace and proportion. Downtown Helsinki More than anything,…
After two and a half weeks around Oulu, I wanted to see some of the rest of Finland.  So, Friday after work and after our lab meeting was over I hopped on the overnight train to **Helsinki**.…
A few of us went back to the Hiidenkangas site (see my post from May 18) where the big stone axe was found two days ago.  We just walked the furrows left by the heavy equipment, eyes glued to the…
We found something pretty cool yesterday at the Hiidenkangas site.  McGill University graduate student **Colin Nielsen **picked up a big **stone axe head** that was sticking out the ground!  None of…
Six or seven times now I have been to the **Kierikki Stone Age Center **in Yli-Ii, an excellent museum and center for research and education on this area’s prehistory.  Yli-Ii Finland…
Is Finland the wettest country on Earth? This structure traps fish in the stream, but you can also use it as a bridge I know there are places that get more rain than Finland.  There are…
When the day is done, we’re not really "done.”  Most evenings we meet in the University of Oulu’s **Archaeology Laboratory** after dinner. In the lab It is a pleasant place with a skylight,…
Today we began to uncover a large and impressive site on a hillside in Haukipudas, north of Oulu.  It has at least fifty pits!  Each pit represents a dwelling.  Plus, the site is "loaded” with…
Northern Finland has very little of the monumental public architecture from past centuries past that we expect to find in England, France, Germany, or even southern Scandanavia.  Most of it looks…
One of the best parts of the ***Kalevala*** (see my post from May 8) is in chapter 3 when young **Joukahainen** comes to challenge **Vainamoinen** to a singing contest.  He introduces himself by…
The **Arctic Circle** is an imaginary line that circles the North Pole.   North of this line, there is at least one day each year when the sun never sets, and at least one night each year when the…