Bronze Age Cattle Teeth and Cremations from a Monumental Burial Cairn in Selkakangas, Finland: New Radiocarbon Dates and Isotopic analysis

: Bläuer A, Korkeakoski-Väisänen K, Arppe L, Kantanen J

Publisher: Estonian Academy Publishers

: 2013

: Estonian Journal of Archaeology

: ESTONIAN JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY

: EST J ARCHAEOL

: 1

: 17

: 1

: 3

: 23

: 21

: 1406-2933

: 1736-7484

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3176/arch.2013.1.01

In this paper we present new data from the monumental Bronze Age cairn of Selkakangas, Nakkila, excavated by the Department of Archaeology of the University of Turku in 1978-1981. Only burnt human bone and unburnt cattle teeth were recovered from the cairn. New radiocarbon-dates from the cremations and a cattle tooth indicate that the cairn was used for burials or rituals several times during the Early Bronze Age. One tooth was selected for isotope (oxygen O, carbon C and strontium Sr) analyses. Observed change in enamel delta C-13, corresponding with increasing age, could reflect the cessation of milk consumption and increasing contribution of plant feed. In addition, this could also indicate signs of the changing plant food type according to outdoor/indoor feeding season in a similar manner evident during the historical period. Cattle were important in rituals practised in the Selkakangas cairn and the deposition of unburnt teeth had a specific meaning.