The Kajaaninlinna Research Project

Secretary: Bo S. Olsson

MEMO:
Kainuu - between east and west

Background
During the last decade Nordic archaeology and historical research have experienced a number of encouraging surprises and enriching discoveries.

Connected to the Asov-project and other projects by the late Dr. Thor Heyerdahl The Thor Heyerdahl Research Center in England are investigating the age and the significance of the old trade-routes between east and west. Present research are relating new significance to the old river-traffic from Asov and the Black Sea, via Volga/Neva and Novgorod to the Finnish Bay. Moreover we find the northern river-route from Ladoga via Saimen and the Kajaani River-system to be of importance, since it connects to the northern trade out of The White Sea and to the ancient Oulu and the Botnic Bay. Recent discoveries on the western side of the Botnic Bay are presntly revealing a rather advanced trading-culture of more than 5000 years of age - connecting the Baltic Ocean to The North Atlantic via the rivers crossing The Scandinavian Penninsula.

1. Recent Dicoveries
Besides a growing number of more than 10.000 years old habitats at the coasts of Norway, Sweden and Finland we may now see a contemporary inland culture; along the river-systems over the Scandinavian and Finnish Penninsulas, - connecting the North Atlantic population to the ancient inhabitants of The Baltic, The White Sea and The Russian river-systems towards Asia and Caucasia. Among recent discoveries from the Baltic region we like to refer the following:

1.1 The Danish climatical survey of the Greenland ice-sheet, published first time in 1992. Analyzing drill-cores from two separat locations the Danish research-group could determine the climatical development of the northern hemisphere with great accuracy, from the last 100.000 years.
The most significant discovery to European history is the finding of the "Climatical Optimum" - with a midle-temperature up to 2,8 degree Celsius higher than today - that occurred over the arctic hemisphere 7.500 - 2.500 years ago. Thus the neolittic and bronze-age Scandinavians had a remarkably better climate, vegetation and animal life than we have today. (Nature 359: 311-313.)

1.2 Conclusive proofs of a more than 1500-year-old, well organised system of trade and communication - reaching from The North Atlantic to the Asian Pacific.
The communications have basically been running through the river-systems of Fenno-Scandia, Eurasia, India and China; connecting places like northern Norway with distant places as the Maldives and the South-East Asia.(The Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo,2000. Ref.; Professor Egil Mikkelsen, Managing Director, The Norwegian National Museum, Oslo.)

1.3 The discovery of a 5000 year old, 1.8 x 1.0 km large, city of trade and communication - excavated at Bjästamoen outside Ørnskiøldsvik in northern Sweden (Univ. of Umeå 1994-2002, ref. Prof. Eduard Boudou).
1.4 Contemporary genetic research concludes that the Fenno-Scandian populations are the oldest in all Europe; unabridged since the last icetime, 10.000 years ago. (Univ. of Huddersfield, et. al, 1999-2002)

1.5 Swedish geneticists studying the population of Gotland have found close genetic connections to both Finland and Sweden. (Populär Arkeologi, 2001). This implies that the ancient Fenno-Scandinavians where closely inter-related. The island of Gotland, which stayed ice-free during all ice-time, could have served as a location of survival during the cataclysms of the ice-age. Therefore it may be the place of origin (and interchange) for the present arctical populations.

1.6 The conclusive discovery of a 10.700 up to 40.000 years old habitats from Homo Sapiens around The White Sea, - from Varanger/Norway along the Kola Peninsula to the Pechora Basin east of the White Sea. (Ref.: Nature, Sept. 2001: "The Pechora Project", Univ. of Bergen/Univ. of Moscow, 1995-2001. Att.: Professor Svein Indrelid, Bergen.)

1.7 The discovery of the "The Wolfcave" outside Kristinestad at the Finnish west-coast, disclosing six stratigraphical layers containing succesive cultural traces; from 11.000 to 280.000 years before present time (Finland’s National Board of Antiquities 1995-2002. Ref. Chief Archaeologist Paula Purhonen). According to The Geological Survey of Finland the traces of human activity can be framed to a time-span of 450.000 years BP.

2. Nature and Culture
2.1 Cause and consequence
2.11 The recent archaeological discoveries from Susiluola and Pechora conclusively proves that an arctic nature - with an arctic population - existed on the shores of The Botnic Ocean and The White Sea already DURING the last ice-time. Both discoveries show a continuity of the populations - continuously from 40.000+ years ago, until the end of the Eurasian ice-time 10.700 years ago.

2.12 This may imply that the roots of both the Finnish-Ugric and the Scandinavian peoples - their arctic nature and culture - are fellow off-springs from a smaller, pre-historic arctic culture. As the Susiluola contains traces of habitants throughout a period of 280.000 years - maybe even 450.000 years - it implies that we have had a (continous?!) arctic population during an eon of isolation, - all existing INSIDE the Baltic area throughout a period when the rest of Northern Europe and Russia where covered with a - up to - 3000 metres thick ice-cap.

2.13 Between 40.-70.000 years ago the global ice-cap was broken up into smaller sheets. Later the sheet covering Fenno-Scandia broke into glaciers that started moving towards the oceans, - with a speed of 16-20 km per year, - "polishing" the entire landscape of Fenno-Scandia.
The ice-time finaly ended 10.700 - 9.900 C-14-years ago, and imediatly after the disappearance of the giantic glaciers we see human setlements occur, - all around the Fenno-Scandic area.
This implies that there already existed a completly and quite perfectly adapted, arctic nature and population - that very fastly spread all around the cold and naked landscape of the northern hemisphere. In less than 30 generations we see that the arctic populations, - with their nature and culture both; spread south as far as Hungary and France, east as far as Russia reach and westwards to the distant, Atlantic islands...

2.2 Genetic studies
2.21 Contemporary research within the European Genome Project are connecting the Finnish genetics directly to its western neighbours - with Estland/Gotland as the middle-point. Archaeological studies are pointing towards a similar reality; showing two branches of a highly organized, arctic culture developing simultaneously - one westwards and the other eastwards. Norwegian archeology referred to this as the "Komsa- and Fosna-cultures".

2.22 Today extensive archaeological material from 8.000 - 4000 BP show these two similar, though characteristic "stone-age" cultures developing east/west of a steady borderline from north to south. The border can be traced from Tromsø/Narvik, along the Torne River via Åland to the river Wisla/Weichsel - down to Hungary/Austria. Items from the Bronze and Iron ages shows similar characteristics. Even today we may trace the same border dividing the indo-European languages in two different "family-lines", along the old lines between the old "Celtic" vs. the "Schytian" cultures.

2.23 According to the studies at The University of Huddersfield the Scandinavian gen-pool contains Europe’s oldest genome, undisturbed since the "first wave" of Europeans, arriving more than 10.000 years ago. Due to classical ethnology it is imminent that the arctic population have bred in two or parallel cultures - "Komsa" and "Fosna" - or Fenno-Ugric/Schytian and Nordic/Celtic. Populating the northern hemisphere - continuously from "stoneage" to "new age" - they must still have a common, Baltic origin.

2.24 Thus we may explain the nearly 10.000 years old culture of travel and communication that can be traced from the south and east Caucasus to the islands in the north-west Atlantic. Still it must have had the Baltic as a common centre of continuous exchange.

2.3 "Climatical optimum" Theese and other intriguing discoveries in the Fenno-Scandic region is about to establish a new and richer picture of our ancestors and their surprisingly high level of culture, travel and trade. This seems to have its most prosperous period during the climatical maximum occurring approx. 7.500-2.500 years ago. According to Danish climatologist Northern Europe then experienced a period of 5000 years where the middle-temperature was up to 2,8 degrees (Celsius) warmer than today. Contemporary archeaelogy verfies this information, stating that Scandinavia used to be covered with leave-threes like ash, oak and elm even north of the artic circle...

2.4 "Climatical minimum"
2.41 Since 2.500 BP the climate on the northern hemisphere gradually worsened. The culimination can be seen in the years 1350-55, when Scandinavia experienced its coldest 5-year period since ice-time. During this "climatical minimum" - occuring gradually from the 9th to the 18th century - the northern cultures experienced very serious challenges. Warfare and conquest also entered the area - both weakening, almost destroying the old culture of The Arctic.

2.42 Even through the most difficult times of the "dark midle-age" we find records of trade still going from Uleåborg; north to "Nordenborg" by the White Sea and south to "Aldeigjuborg" by Ladoga. And thanks to modern archeaology - from Ella Kivikoski to Egil Mikkelsen - we also know that this trade - under a much better climate - used to travel èn route via Neva to "Casberg" at the Caspian Sea, and by Volga to Asov (As-hov) and The Black Sea.

2.5 Cultural Optimum!
2.51 Enriching discoveries of 1000-4000 years old artefacts - in gold, silver, bronze and gemstones - have been found all around the Baltic Ocean and its waterways. "The Schytian Gold" found along the Russian rivers. Similar, but smaller treasures from Gotland, Sweden and Norway are nowadays travelling Europe and the US for museal exibitions.

2.52 Since 2000, at the location of Västra Haninge outside Stockhlom, archaelogists have been disclosing an antique temple. It`s built in a pentatonic form of 5 x 7 metres, dating back over 2000 years. The temple was situated within a larger infra-structure and can be "directly compared to temples of the Greek or Roman antiquity". (Archaeologist Lindsay Loyd Smith, Stockholm, 2003).

2.53 Today we may see a growing number of significant findings from Fenno-Scandia, proving that the whole area have been populated by well organised, inter-related cultures already 8-10.000 years ago. Readers of present archaeological circulations are frequently informed about impressive studies or surprising discoveries, - strongly indicating or proving that the ancient populations around The Baltic Sea was far more advanced than hereto presumed. With the discovery of a higly developed, 5000 years old city in the area, the question now arises about arctical significance to trade and cultural interchange between the larger cultures of the ancient world...

3. Arctic culture, trade and communication

3.1 Consequently a growing number of trade- and communication-routes from the ancient Baltic have been revealed. In his latest works the Norwegian historians, such as Prof. Egil Mikkelsen, have shown communications and trade where the Scandinavian west-coast have received goods from southern India and the Maldives.
In this picture we find the old trade-routes over the Finnish river-systems of highly significant interest - since the age of populations around the Baltic Sea and the White Sea has been proved to exist even before the end office-time (See; The Pechora-project).
3.2 From 1994 - 2002 Swedish archaeologist made a incredible discovery of a 5000 years old outside their northern city of Örnskiöldsvik. At Bjästamon, by the Ångerman-river, a 1.8 km x 1.0 km large, highly organized city-structure have been revealed, together with a unnumbered amount of objects revealing a highly organized and wide reaching net of trade and communication. Fragments from Bjästamon shows trade all around the Baltic Ocean, via the large river system of "Ångermannälven" to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean - and over the Finnish riversystems trading Russian products.
3.3 New discoveries from both Russia, Finland and Scandinavia clearly tell that the arctic region played a more important role that hereto anticipated. In the development of communication and culture between The Atlantic and The Pacific we find the connecting main-lines along the northern hemisphere. From The Baltics we may find a stable access to Europe and The Atlantic, The White Sea, The Caspian Sea and The Black Sea. Thus the Botnic Bay and the Kajaani River appears to be a main-road in the old routes of the arctic region. Across the bay from Bjästamon - with its waterways to the Atlantic and the historic heartland of Norway - we find the location of the Vuonhenki/Ämmenthys waterfalls to be a natural turn-key of trade and communication.

4. Sagas and Science
4.1 From our oldest litterature, such as Greek and Roman historians, Russian Annals, Scandinavian Sagas and Anglo-Saxon Chronichles all refer to the northern Finnish waterways as ancient mainroads of the Baltics. Already Ottars Saga (ca. 870) refer to the area of The White Sea and its rivers "deep into the land" where one may find "the centre of The King of The Kvens". Later sources points to the cultural centre of Kajaanipouri/Kajaaneborg/("Corele-borg") - placed by the natural cross-road of these river systems.

4.2 Since 1990 a few but growing number of contemporary historians, such as the late Dr. Thor Heyerdahl, have started to seriously re-investigate the historic significance of the ancient sagas, legends and myths of Northern Europe and Scandinavia. Today comparative studies frequently sheds new light on our ancient history, using the results of modern science to investigate the historic significance and reliability of the Norse and Finnish Sagas - alongside Russian Annals, English Chronicles and the classic Greek-Roman writings. (Ref.: Thor Heyerdahl/Per Lillieström: "Uten Grenser"(Oslo,1999), "Jakten på Odin"(2001))

4.3 In Thor Heyerdahls last excavation ("The Asov Project") he was using the Norse Sagas as a major reference to spot the location of the ancient city of Asov, - as the oldest port of the Volga river. Together with Russian, Swedish and Norwegian archaeologists he found and investigated the old city, probably the "nordic" centre of communication and trade with ancient Asia and the Mediterranean area - north to Carelia and Finland.

4.4 In their last book Heyerdahl/Lilliestrøm points to different, independent sagas from Viking time referring to "King Snö of Finland" or "Kong Snö den Gamle". In the "Saga of The Orkney Isles" "King Snö the Old" appears as the forefather to the original Norwegian kinglines ("Jakten på Odin", page 48-50). Both in the "Orkney Saga" and in The Anglo-Saxon Chronichles we find the King of the Finns (Kvens) described to be residing inside the land; "following the rivers (further south) from the bottom of the White Sea"! Also the Finnish author Martti Linna (1989/90) and others have pointed to this historic sagas as a reference to a hereto negelected Finnish Kingdom.

4.5 In the continuum of this work we find the islands of the Kajaani riversystem, the cultural centre at Kajaani and the Kajaani Castle highly significant. Given that there are some significance to the old Norse and Finnish Sagas - as well as to the first books on Finnish history; the island of Kajaaninlinna may keep highly valuable traces of our ancient culture. (Ref.: Folk-kultursarkivet i Helsingfors: "Familjsagan från Strömsö Gård" and J. Messenius: "Historia Fennae",)

(4.6) Another mind-boggling crossroad of ancient connections was published 1990/91 by the Italian Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Felice Vinci. Dr. Vinci is apparently renown as one of Europe’s leading authorities on Homeric literature. In his current works he is showing that major parts of the stories from Homer -such as "The Illiad" - actually was played out between people of rank - ruling the ancient cultures of both the Mediterranean and the Baltic! Combining Greek mythology with Baltic geography, Dr. Vinci is showing that major parts of Homers Panteon - and Odyseus`travels - was taking place in the Baltic...
(Felice Vinci, Omero nel Baltico ("Homer in the Baltic"), with introduction by R. Calzecchi Onesti and F. Cuomo. Publisher: Fratelli Palombi Editori, 2nd edition 1998, Rome. ISBN: 88-7621-211-6 (an English unabridged translation is available for scholars)).

5. Kainulaiset - The Kvens
5.1 From Europe’s oldest historic sources we find "The Arctic Treasures" mentioned; like tar, seal-oil, skins of fur and leather, arctic ivory, hunter-falcons, etc. In earlier times these goods - mainly produced in the Barent region - where highly regarded in the Middle and Southern Eurasia. Thus the arctic where seen as rich and resourceful and at the crossroads of our waterways there must have been a highly organized net of production, transport and trade. In the middle of this "inter-continental" network we find a 10.000 year old culture of arctic production and trade called "Kvens" or "Kainuulaiset".

5.2 The history of the Kvens is known from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles of the 9th century, as well as in the oldest Greek and Roman history about the Northern Countries. Originally the Kvens used to populate and govern all the land on the northern Fenno-Scandia. North from a line between Onega and Vasa, then along Torneå to Narvik/Tromsø and further north and east to the Kolan Penninsula and the western shores of the White Sea. In the west they bordered with the Swedes and Norwegians ("Fosna-culture"), and to the east with "Bjarmer" and "Carelians" - both concerned to be off-springs of the "Komsa-culture".
Due to the later warfare between Denmark and Sweden a major part of northern Kvenland was "lost"; from Sweden-Finland to Denmark-Norway. (See also; "Kvenland - Kainunmaa" by Prof. Kyösti Juolko, "Karelian Istmus - the unknown land", by Prof. Eugeny Balaschov, "Kainuulaiset" by Tuomi Pekkanen.)

5.3 Old Nordic historians, such as Johannes & Olaus Magnus, Messenius, Rudbeck and Lønnroth, in their different ways relate the essential part of the Finish culture to the area of Kainuu and the Kajaanipouri. Besides the Greek-Roman historians Ptolemy and Jordanes, both Norse sagas, Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and early Nordic historians - such as Olaus Magnus - signify the trade along the waterways of Northern Finland, related to the "People of Kvens".

5.4 The common folklore of Kainunmaa, Carelia and Finland contains one of the worlds richest storages of ancient stories. Originally kept in an oral tradition of songs, poems and sagas the Finnish mythology bears witness of ancient story-tellers with an impressivly clear and exstensive memory. The Lönnroth-archives in Kajaani contends more than 20.000 verses, songs and stories. With more than a million points of information the Finnish mythology appears as the worlds largest of its kind - and of an hereto unknown age.

5.5 "The Northernmost Castle in the World"
During recent years the Finnish National Board of Antiquities have entitled Kajaaninlinna "The Northernmost Castle in the World". Works of present Finnish historians/litterates, such as Dr. phil. Leif Engström and Cand. phil. Marti Linna, link the central functions of the ancient Finland to the Kvens, Kainuu and the Castle of Kajaani. According to their studies a well organized kingdom was really existing here until 1248, when Finland - as the last independent kingdom in Eurasia - got submerged to Sweden and the teocratic rule of mideval Rome.

Conclusivly; The first cultural building (bourough/borg/pori)on the island may be substantially older than 400 years. A proper investigation should clarify this issue.

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