This study started from the premise that information about the provenance of building materials
increases the understanding of construction activities and utilization of environment in the past. In
this study, we analyzed 163 building stones from twelve medieval cellars in Turku (Finland) with a
portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (pXRF) and compared the results with surveys and analysis
of the local bedrock. According to the study, the majority of stones were quarried near the construction
site. The only exceptions were limestones, which are not of local origin and could have been imported
from the Baltic area or collected as glacial boulders on rocky beaches in the surroundings of Turku.
Another major result is that stones of different kinds and from different areas were used in the same
buildings and rooms. This indicates non-systematic quarrying, reuse of stones and challenges related
to the acquisition of material despite the availability of local rocks.