Archaeological materials
The archival material related to archaeology consists of, for example, administrative materials, research reports, drawings, maps, and documents related to archaeological artifact collections. In addition to documents created by our organisation, the archives also contain materials produced by other actors, such as archaeological research reports.
Key documents related to archaeological artifact collections include the artifact journal, the master catalogue (discovery catalogues), verifications, and artifact drawings. In the Finnish Heritage Agency's Archive Service, these materials can be found in the series of the State Archaeological Commission and the Finnish Heritage Agency, for example, the Archaeological Collections Master Catalog (Finnish Heritage Agency's series Bab, State Archaeological Commission's series Bba), Archaeological Collections Artifact Journal (Finnish Heritage Agency's series Aaf), and verifications (Finnish Heritage Agency's series Eba).
Key archival materials related to ancient monuments include, for example, inventories and excavation and inspection reports. Archaeological research reports can be found in the Finnish Heritage Agency's Archive Service, for example, at: Museovirasto – Kulttuuriympäristön tutkimukset, kansatieteen käsikirjoitukset ja muu aineisto – Hn Arkeologiset tutkimukset.
The systematic inventory of ancient monuments began in the 19th century when the stipend holders of the Finnish Antiquarian Society toured the country, recording ancient monuments and, for example, ecclesiastical artifacts and old buildings. The trips resulted in so-called parish reports, some of which have been published. The parish reports can be found in the archive service in the series Hnf (Kulttuuriympäristön tutkimukset, kansatieteen käsikirjoitukset ja muu aineisto – Hn Arkeologiset tutkimukset). More recent inventories have typically been conducted by municipality or in the area of influence of a major land use project. Excavation reports contain information on the study of an ancient monument and the observations and finds made in connection with it. Inspection reports are usually brief reports on field visits.
Most archaeological research reports are in digital form, and most of them can be freely viewed in the Finnish Heritage Agency's Archive Service or the Finnish Heritage Agency’s Statements and Decisions service (in Finnish). The digitized find catalogs of archaeological artifact collections can be browsed in the Journal of Ancient Artefacts, Museoverkko, and at the researchers’ room's customer terminals.
Photographs related to archaeology are managed by the Finnish Heritage Agency's Picture Collections. The collections include photographs taken by officials of the State Archaeological Commission from the 1890s onwards, related to both artifacts and ancient monuments. Photographs related to archaeology have been released in Finna under the CC BY 4.0 license for free use. Images marked with this license can be downloaded and used free of charge, provided that the name of the photographer or author and the owner of the collection are mentioned. For other images, paid recordings can be ordered according to the Finnish Heritage Agency's picture service price list.
The Finnish Heritage Agency's archives contain an abundance of special materials such as maps and drawings. The special materials are primarily related to archaeology and the built environment. Most of the archaeological special materials are connected to archaeological fieldwork. The archives also contain, for example, artifact drawings.
Archive indexes: