According to a recent study on an ancient burial ground, the Tainiaro site, which dates back 6,500 years, the site is probably one of the largest Stone Age cemeteries in northern Europe.
Local sand extractors discovered Tainiaro in 1959 in northern Finland’s enormous boreal forest at Bothnian Bay in southwestern Lapland, approximately 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of the Arctic Circle. Even though the workmen discovered countless stone artefacts, the find did not receive the attention it deserved.
Archaeologists led by Tuija Laurén attempted to dig the site about 30 years ago.
However, due to a lack of financing, the research was never published.
Laurén has now returned to the cemetery with a team from the University of Oulu, providing the first full survey of the site. Surprisingly, their studies revealed that the Tainiaro cemetery held more bodies than previously thought. While initial estimates estimated 120 burials, the experts now believe the figure is closer to 200.
This number of remains is especially surprising given the region’s extreme northern location and harsh climate. The study’s primary author, Aki Hakonen of the University of Oulu’s Department of Archaeology, underlined that the findings raise issues regarding the possibility of similar cemeteries in the river basins of the Bothnian Bay.
Experts have described the evidence as ‘very elusive,’ and it consists mostly of elongated pits, as the physical remains, including bones, have dissolved over time due to the acidic soil.
The researchers compared the geometry of these pits with over 800 other Stone Age tombs from 14 Northern European cemeteries, supporting their claim that they used these trenches for burial. Interestingly, the pits frequently contained signs of burned remnants and red ochre pigments, prompting the researchers to question their cultural significance in a location known for its harsh environment.
To explore deeper into this riddle, experts have begun mapping Tainiaro with geophysical radar imaging, to gain insights without physically disturbing the site. They hope that additional studies, such as excavations and analysis of new soil samples, may reveal more about the intriguing civilization underlying this ancient cemetery.