Papers by Aki Hakonen
Antiquity, 2023
The European far north is an improbable location for a large prehistoric hunter-gatherer cemetery... more The European far north is an improbable location for a large prehistoric hunter-gatherer cemetery. Tainiaro, 80km south of the Arctic Circle, was first excavated four decades ago but the unpublished findings and their potential significance have evaded wider recognition. Despite the absence of skeletal evidence, dozens of fifth-millennium BC pits have been tentatively interpreted as burials. Here, the authors present the first analytical and comparative overview of the site. Many of the pits are consistent in form with those used for inhumation at contemporaneous sites suggesting that Tainiaro is one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in northern Europe and raising questions about the cultural and subsistence practices of prehistoric societies in the subarctic.
Antroblogi, 2021
Edustuksellinen demokratia sai alkunsa Pohjois-Amerikan alkuperäiskansojen kritiikistä eurooppala... more Edustuksellinen demokratia sai alkunsa Pohjois-Amerikan alkuperäiskansojen kritiikistä eurooppalaista yhteiskuntaa kohtaan yli 300 vuotta sitten. Edesmennyt antropologi David Graeber ja arkeologi David Wengrow jäljittivät kritiikin alkujuuria ja asettivat kyseenalaiseksi olettamukset, joiden perusteella kertomus ihmisen kulttuurievoluutiosta on laadittu.
Society & Animals, 2022
The paper presents the first cultural anthropological study of the Finnish canine police force. T... more The paper presents the first cultural anthropological study of the Finnish canine police force. The study is based on interviews with eleven police dog handlers. The interviews focused on the cultural model of the profession, with emphasis on the interaction between dogs and their handlers. The relationship is surprisingly reciprocal. It can be understood as operating on the principles of an interspecies social contract, where the categorical division between the species is, paradoxically, vigorously maintained and habitually broken. The police dog requires constant negotiation to perform tasks that humans themselves cannot do. Rather than being forced, the dogs are guided through play and positive reinforcement into performing tasks. Relationships of canine police teams are deeply personal and in navigating the complexities of a human-driven society, the canine assumes many different roles. Conceptualizing police dogs as mediators for their natural talents, instead of mere tools, could formalize their place in society.
Arctic Anthropology, 2021
The prehistory of Fennoscandia is characterized by a split of the north and south into what is co... more The prehistory of Fennoscandia is characterized by a split of the north and south into what is commonly interpreted as forager and agricultural subsistence contexts. The cultural divergence between the two took place in the region over the span of 4,000 years. This article focuses on analyzing products indicative of extrasubsistence labor, which signify distinct-yet- comparable activities in the divergent regional contexts. The activities are studied by interpreting the production processes of the most common types of pertinent archaeological remnants and interpreted through two attributes: labor intensity and expertise. The combined analysis reflects the differences between the two regional material records while also indicating different logic related to the persistence of labor activities. This difference in logic is interpreted with a framework pertaining to worldview differences between subsistence production and subsistence procurement. Beginning from the 4th and 3rd millennium BC, communities in the southern context are argued to have adopted aspects of an ideology of production. These communities maintained and strengthened their labor efforts in the long term. Contrastingly, in the northern zone, several phases of the decline of labor-related activities can be discerned in the long-term prehistory when labor roles were completely reorganized or abolished. The difference may be due to an ideological separation between the two contexts concerning nonsubsistence-related work and the associated issue of social organization.
Time & Mind, 2019
Mortuary practices evident in the materiality of Central Fennoscandia in Northern Europe are inte... more Mortuary practices evident in the materiality of Central Fennoscandia in Northern Europe are interpreted here rather unconventionally as expressions of morality. This is defined as the culturally approved way to manage death, without scruples. The last seven millennia are set on a flat temporal scale in this paper, revealing contradictions between different ideologies and worldviews over that time. The ubiquitous themes that emerge are agency of place and the bond between fire, life, and death, along with the main criticism, which asserts that the overwhelming fear of the dead reported in the region during 2nd millennium may have been aggravated by Christian dogma. Thus, projecting similar notions of fear to local prehistoric burials is problematic and should be made with caution. The study acts as a reminder that archaeological interpretation is drawn from theory - the interpretational key - which affects both the hypotheses and the results. Changing the key may turn even an established interpretation on its head.
Open Archaeology, 2021
This article presents a comparison of material records of two nearby regions on the coast of the ... more This article presents a comparison of material records of two nearby regions on the coast of the Bothnian Bay. The timeframe is 5300-2000 BCE. The focus is on regional differences, which indicate a schizmogenesis of communal identities. The study calls for a reorientation of research concerning Fennoscandian prehistory. More attention should be paid to localized prehistories. It is argued that when prehistoric society is used as a fundamental group category, especially in the context of forager communities, the modern concept of state society distorts the underlying framework. Focusing on the regional level by constructing local prehistoric narratives limits the anachronistic effect and allows the proliferation of local communal identities. Such local prehistories, when collated and compared, offer a pathway to understanding prehistoric stateless societies, which are misrepresented by simplistic material cultural zones and the inherent homogeny ingrained within the concept of society. In this paper, the analysis is focused on practices representing local traditions. Two divergent themes that arise from the local prehistoric narratives are the Late Mesolithic use of local stone materials and regional changes in Neolithic dwelling forms.
Fennoscandia Archaeologica, 2017
In regions where post-glacial isostatic land uplift is in effect, shoreline displacement chronolo... more In regions where post-glacial isostatic land uplift is in effect, shoreline displacement chronology is a common and convenient tool for establishing relative dates for archaeological sites. In this paper, the spatial relationship between archaeological remains and their contemporary shorelines are studied on the Finnish Bothnian Bay. A commonly used shoreline displacement chronology for the region is evaluated by comparing its results to four diverse benchmarks. The shoreline displacement curves of the best fitting sea-level gauge-based variables are presented and the distances to concurrent shorelines from archaeological radiocarbon samples are measured in ArcGIS by using terrain elevation models to provide accurate topography. The results show that different types of coastal remains behave differently in relation to their distance from the sea. These observations offer further insight into the chronology and nature of the remains and shed light on related prehistoric activities. Additionally, recent geological land uplift models based on radiocarbon dated basin isolations are shown to be incompatible with archaeological data.
Artefactum 2
Vuonna 1997 julkaistussa paikallishistoriateoksessa Keminmaan historia silloinen Oulun yliopiston... more Vuonna 1997 julkaistussa paikallishistoriateoksessa Keminmaan historia silloinen Oulun yliopiston arkeologian lehtori Pentti Koivunen kuvailee Kemin Tervaharjulta löytyneen, säiläkirjoituksin koristetun myöhäisrautakautisen miekan katkelmaa. Ase on 62 cm pitkä, joskin kärjestään katkennut, ja säiläosaltaan noin 3,5 cm leveä. Lisäksi miekka on muiltakin osin hyvin huonossa kunnossa, eikä esimerkiksi väistimestä ole paljoakaan jäljellä. Koivunen esittää miekan ajoittuvan 1100-luvulle ja olevan siten yksi harvoista myöhäisrautakauden muinaislöydöistä Kemijokisuiston alueelta. Perusteita miekan ajoitukselle ei kuitenkaan tarjota. Poikkeuksellisuudestaan huolimatta esine ei kuitenkaan ole tähän päivään mennessä saanut juuri huomiota, eikä siitä esimerkiksi löydy mainintaa Museoviraston ylläpitämästä muinaisjäännösrekisteristä tai löytödiaarista (muinaiskalupäiväkirja). Näin ollen sen arkeologinen tuntemus on jäänyt hyvin vähäiseksi. Tästä syystä lieneekin aiheellista suoda tälle jo 1960-luvulla löydetylle myöhäisrautakauden aseelle sen ansaitsema huomio.
This paper provides a case study of social development from the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age on... more This paper provides a case study of social development from the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age on the Bothnian Bay coast. The focus is on the burial site of Tahkokangas and the ancient Oulujoki river estuary in Finland. The archaeological record of the area is marked by numerous cooking pit and stone burial sites. By analysing the nature of the stone structures in Tahkokangas and the distribution of the surrounding sites, an attempt is made to see through the material remains into the community itself. In particular, aspects of social transformation such as the inner socio-political workings of the community are studied. The resulting interpretation is that the local community of the Oulujoki river was connected to a European-wide economic network, which acted as a catalyst for social stratification. Individuals who gained access to trade also gained prominence with their peers and rose in hierarchy to eventually establish their own political entity. Tahkokangas is interpreted as a manifestation of this. The structures at the site are identified as burials that housed the high ranking dead. Those who rose to high rank within the studied community were dependent on the access to trade and eventually, when long-distance trade became unreliable, a social reorganization was carried out.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2015
Laser scanning has the potential of becoming an indispensable documentation method in archaeology... more Laser scanning has the potential of becoming an indispensable documentation method in archaeology. To test its application in interpretatively challenging archaeological settings, a part of the prehistoric cemetery of Tahkokangas in Northern Finland was scanned. The site consists of stone settings of varying form whose elevation and morphology indicate a date of 600–200 BC. A boulder field where six of the ten settings on the site are located was scanned. The structures were difficult to interpret on-site due to their inconspicuous nature. In this paper, in order to circumvent the problem, the gathered 3D data is processed into meshes and false colored by height. The meshes and the height colorization allow detailed structural interpretation of the settings. The 3D material allows new directions for the study of the site. Previously undetected extensions of the largest stone setting were discovered. Also the structural analysis of the setting suggests that additional support structures may have been used. Along with the findings, limitations and advantages of laser scanning and 3D inspection are discussed. The results and conclusions show laser scanning to be a useful documentation method even when studying indistinct sites for which the scanner was not originally designed for. Still, the method does not produce new information, but merely aids in its perception and interpretation.
Conference Presentations by Aki Hakonen
Digitization is an ever increasing trend in archaeology. Every new application has to seek its pl... more Digitization is an ever increasing trend in archaeology. Every new application has to seek its place in the varying scale of research, from documentation to interpretation. This paper explores the practical use of different digital applications in archaeological research and their possibilities. The applications include Real Time Kinematic GPS, aerial LIDAR, terrestrial laser scanning and selected computer software solutions used for post-processing the acquired data. These are evaluated mainly by applying them on an Iron Age cairn site, Kirnuvaara, in Finnish coastal Lapland. This case study is compared to previous studies conducted by the authors. Benefits and problems deriving from practical use and relating to digitization are discussed. The paper shows how archaeologists can benefit from the widening use of digital measurement tools and research in digital environments, presents future scenarios for archaeology and assesses the methodological costs of digitization.
Books by Aki Hakonen
Acta Universitatis Ouluensis, 2021
The aim of this study is ultimately to expand our understanding of the prehistoric world closer t... more The aim of this study is ultimately to expand our understanding of the prehistoric world closer to the individual. The focus is on the Bothnian Arc and its local communities lost in time. To understand them, we need to understand the wider Central Fennoscandian prehistory. The main timeframe is 5500 BCE to 600 CE. The study applies, among other methods, 3D topographical analyses on archival and digital materials. The theoretical framework is formed around Latourian Actor-Network Theory and Modes of Existence, and the anthropological economic theory of the late David Graeber. The purpose of the theoretical assemblage is to gain a perspective beyond the modern Western notions of society and economy. Accordingly, the geography of Central Fennoscandia can be populated with non-human agencies and entities, who would not have gone unnoticed from the local inhabitants. Most notably, post-glacial land uplift animates the geography, while also providing local archaeology with the tool of shoreline displacement chronology.
The narrative of the prehistory of Central Fennoscandia indicates that after agrarian forms of subsistence began to expand into the region during the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE, a constantly shifting frontier between agricultural and forager contexts persisted in the region for over four millennia. Regarding the politics of these communities, it is argued that the different modes of subsistence were ingrained in ideology. Subsistence ideology affected attitudes to labor and organization. This approach highlights the cultural division within the region. Analyzing mortuary practices as signs of respect and morality alleviates the division, while shifting the contrast to highlight the divergence between the multivalence of prehistoric mortuary practices and the singularism of Christian dogma.
This multivalence is further investigated by a comparative study of the material records of two regions within the Bothnian Arc. The results indicate that the local communal identities differed from each other practically throughout prehistory, even though they are frequently categorized under the same material cultures. It is expected that with more comparative studies, the pluralism of communities would only increase as more local traditions are uncovered. This conclusion makes the concept of society questionable in the context of pre-state collectives.
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Papers by Aki Hakonen
Conference Presentations by Aki Hakonen
Books by Aki Hakonen
The narrative of the prehistory of Central Fennoscandia indicates that after agrarian forms of subsistence began to expand into the region during the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE, a constantly shifting frontier between agricultural and forager contexts persisted in the region for over four millennia. Regarding the politics of these communities, it is argued that the different modes of subsistence were ingrained in ideology. Subsistence ideology affected attitudes to labor and organization. This approach highlights the cultural division within the region. Analyzing mortuary practices as signs of respect and morality alleviates the division, while shifting the contrast to highlight the divergence between the multivalence of prehistoric mortuary practices and the singularism of Christian dogma.
This multivalence is further investigated by a comparative study of the material records of two regions within the Bothnian Arc. The results indicate that the local communal identities differed from each other practically throughout prehistory, even though they are frequently categorized under the same material cultures. It is expected that with more comparative studies, the pluralism of communities would only increase as more local traditions are uncovered. This conclusion makes the concept of society questionable in the context of pre-state collectives.
The narrative of the prehistory of Central Fennoscandia indicates that after agrarian forms of subsistence began to expand into the region during the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE, a constantly shifting frontier between agricultural and forager contexts persisted in the region for over four millennia. Regarding the politics of these communities, it is argued that the different modes of subsistence were ingrained in ideology. Subsistence ideology affected attitudes to labor and organization. This approach highlights the cultural division within the region. Analyzing mortuary practices as signs of respect and morality alleviates the division, while shifting the contrast to highlight the divergence between the multivalence of prehistoric mortuary practices and the singularism of Christian dogma.
This multivalence is further investigated by a comparative study of the material records of two regions within the Bothnian Arc. The results indicate that the local communal identities differed from each other practically throughout prehistory, even though they are frequently categorized under the same material cultures. It is expected that with more comparative studies, the pluralism of communities would only increase as more local traditions are uncovered. This conclusion makes the concept of society questionable in the context of pre-state collectives.