Mass Graves of Finnish War in Northern Finland – Analyses of One Casualty

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Burial, Space, and Memory of Unusual Death" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

After the Finnish war (1808–1809), Sweden surrendered its eastern parts (Finland) to Russia. According a treaty, the Swedish troops retreated northwards from Oulu to the Swedish side. The journey proved harsh for the sick, weakened troops wandering in the snow without proper winter-gear. Many would not make it. For the rest, the hastily established military camps around the present border-area formed into an inferno of disease. This caused the dead to pile up faster than new graves could be opened and made necessary to consecrate approximately ten mass-graves in the area. Along with these sites, we were interested in the hair keratin and bone collagen stable isotope composition of one war-casualty who met his demise and whose remains were buried along with few others just outside of Oulu. These analyses reveal the respective short and long-term nutrition, which may point out the effect the wartime had on his diet.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019   •
• Burial, Space, and Memory of Unusual Death

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 271