Archaeological research in Kurkijoki on the InterActive History project

Submitted by KA3022 on
 Archaeological finds on the area around the Kurkijoki Local History Center

In the village of Kurkijoki (Lakhdenpohsky district), the Russian-Finnish team of archeologists headed by the researcher of the Department of archeology of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, candidate of historical Sciences Stanislav Belsky began working under the international museum project InterActive History. Colleagues from the University of Oulu Hanna-Leena Puolakka and Heidi Lämminsivu are participating in the archaeological research.

The territory of the Kurkijoki and its immediate environs was one of the major centers of settlement of the chronicle Korela during the Iron Age period - the Middle Ages. This is evidenced by the numerous archaeological monuments of that era – settlements, settlements, cemeteries and treasures.

Archaeological research in the framework of the Interactive History project will be aimed at creating a map of monuments in the Kurkijoki area, which will be shown in the updated exhibition of the Kurkijoki Local History Center. For this purpose, archaeological exploration and research is carried out to catalog and record the current state of the already known objects, as well as the search for new archaeological sites that have not been taken into account before.

The main monument in Kurkijoki, of course, is the Lopotti Linnamäki hill-fort, located near the Kurkijoki Local History Center. It is planned to hold a fixation of the current state of the surviving structures and objects on the Lopotti Linnamäki hill-fort, perhaps a local clearing of the most interesting sites for subsequent museification. The archaeological research includes the area around the Kurkijoki Local History Center, where the project further plans to build small architectural forms to create a convenient infrastructure for museum visitors. Other promising objects for searching and prospecting research in Kurkijoki will be the localization of the ancient Orthodox church and cemetery at the mouth of the Raholankoji river and investigation of a possible burial ground on the Andersinmäki hill. In addition, the places where ancient things were found recently will be examined as these findings probably indicate the presence of yet unknown burial grounds or settlements.

Earlier in June 2019, the well-known Karelian archeologist, Doctor of Historical Sciences Svetlana Kochkurkina worked in the Kurkijoki Local History Center within the framework of the InterActive History project. Svetlana Ivanovna investigated the archaeological collection of the local history center and carried out the attribution of objects stored in the Kurkijoki museum. On the basis of this work results by the designers of the new exhibition in Kurkijoki the most interesting items for demonstration will be selected.