DISTRIBUTION OF CORDED WARE IN THE AREAS NORTH OF THE GULF OF FINLAND – AN UPDATE

Abstract

Research of the Corded Ware phenomenon in the areas north of the Gulf of Finland has been scanty during the last several decades, and consequently outdated views, distribution maps, and numbers of finds still prevail. This paper aims to update data on the distribution of Corded Ware in Finland and Karelia (Russia), and to discuss the results in the context of the old research tradition, and to highlight some aspects of the northern Corded Ware. The current data shows that there are ca 360 Corded Ware settlement sites, 30 burial sites and over 1300 stray find locations of battle axes in the research area. Contrary to much of Europe the areas north of the Gulf of Finland accommodate a large amount of settlement sites but only a few burials. No singular reason for this can be pointed out but the most likely explanations include modest later land use at the locations, factors related to archaeological visibility and research methods, and also to local Corded Ware cultural practices. Despite certain shortcomings the northern Corded Ware material is exceptional and holds a great potential for further studies of the phenomenon, especially its domestic sphere and everyday practices.