Sammallahdenmaki Bronze Age archaeological site in Lappi

Unesco Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization has recognized the Sammallahdenmaki Bronze Age Archaeological Site in Finland's Lappi as a World Cultural Heritage in 1999.

Sammallahdenmaki is the name of a bronze age burial site in Lappi town, southwestern Finland. Sammallahdenmaki grave site consists of a total of 33 stone tombs , mainly remote hill granite , away from roads and also far from neighboring villages such as Tampere and Rauma . The total area of ​​the site is up to 36 hectares. According to archaeologists, the tombs at this site are over 3000 years old, they were formed from about 1,500 to 500 BC.

Previously, this area belonged to the Gulf of Bothnia but today due to the land reclamation process, the area is only about 15 km from the sea. This is one of the most important archaeological sites in Scandinavia in Finland.

Sammallahdenmaki was discovered by chance by the native people. In 1891, archaeologist Volter Hogman unearthed four holes in the relic and discovered that there was a church floor with an unusual rectangular stone mound of 19 meters in length, 16 meters wide and top. flat and a long stone huilu surrounded by an ancient stone wall. So far there have been 8 stone tombs excavated, through many studies, archaeologists think that 6 of the 8 stone tombs were formed from the Bronze Age and the remaining 2 tombs were formed early in the period. iron .

The dolmens in this relic are typical examples of Bronze Age culture in the Bronze Age . At that time, the graves in the area were all built of granite, maybe it was taken from the mountains in the neighborhood that could be exploited locally. Sammallahdenmaki dolmens are very different from other dolmens of the same period because they have two different structures. A structure is built in oval shape, and the structure is left slender and long. Through research, archaeologists and historians argue that this change is made in the following historical periods. All stone tombs at Sammallahdenmaki Bronze Archaeological Site in Lappi are not covered with earth and made entirely of stone.

Through research documents, historians also claim that the dolmens at Sammallahdenmaki Bronze Age archaeological site in Lappi are related to a religion that is the worship of the sun . This religion spread to the Lappi region originating from the coastal regions of Finland, Sacndinavia. This area used to be a farmer who lived to live, they kept worshiping the sun, the supreme deity in their religion.

The archaeological site of the Sammallahdenmaki Bronze Age in Lappi is recognized by Unesco according to criteria (iii) and criteria (iv).

Criterion (iii): The dolmens in the Sammallahdenmaki Bronze Age archaeological site in Lappi related to a religion are the worship of the sun god. This religion is spread from coastal Finland.

Criterion (iv): Sammallahdenmaki Bronze Age archaeological site in Lappi is a special demonstration of the construction of graveyards from the Bronze Age. Besides, the construction of granite tombs can also be innovative when it comes to taking advantage of local materials of bronze age residents.

To date, this relic area is still an important archaeological site paid attention by archaeologists. Because it still maintains the mysteries of burial in the Bronze Age that need to be discovered.