Do We Know About the Finns?

 We Know That All Finns Are Not On Fish

First on the Baltic           

            But then, all Finns are not a beef. These words are not intended to be about diet. They are to say a few introductory words about an important people on the northeast of the Baltic Sea. They have been there for a long time. They may have been there longer than anyone else.

        There is a lot to learn about the Finns and I am just beginning to do so. So, don't expect me to be "a know it all." Good people, let us begin.

        It is not easy to get much information about the Finns before the time of the first settlement of Helsinki. I believe that that Helsinki was settled by Swedes and named by them. Swedes and Finns each speak their own language as did their ancestors. There is a lot to learn here, just about the content of this short paragraph.

        I bet that the ancestors of the Finns were in place on the Baltic long before the ancestors of the Swedes. I have begun to believe that ancestral Finns were in what is now Finland by 14,000 BP. That's over 13,000 years longer than Americans have been in North America! Finns were there at a time when the Ice Age ice had scarcely begun to begin to melt. That is, the Finns could have been in place during the most recent Ice Age. It seems possible that ancestors of the Finns could have lived much of the Ice Age on Ice!

        Anyway, I think that Baltic people have been taught, from time to time, that the Finns were there first.

Early Swedes

        I'll repeat some things a few times to help you remember.  Helsinki, the capital city of Finland, is a name of Swedish origin and Helsinki was setup to support Swedish trade.  

        Finns were and still are a strong presence in the Baltic area. However, like most humans, Finns have admixtures of cultures and genetics. In historic times and recent prehistoric times, Finns have been influenced by Swedes, Russians, and others genetically and culturally, but not before Swede and Russian experienced admixtures of their own.   

        I'll try to move on a bit faster. We have now come to see that most of our own prehistory had some increase in human population and some increase in human activity after the end of post Ice Age floods. Now archaeologists are finding more evidence of human industry and and culture of Finland dates to a similar time. That is to about 7000 years ago or a bit before 500o BC. Abundance and quality of evidence seems to be coming from near Vantaa, Pitajanmaki, and Karela.      

Talking Archaeology        

            You have probably noted that we are talking about the archaeology here. The strongest evidence of permanent settlements has been found to date shortly after the advent of Christ and was found to have been of Iron Age in nature. The culture of that time in Finland has been called Tavastian.   

        So far prehistoric evidence in Finland has been light, but research and publication has increased. Some strength of evidence indicates a bit more abundant activity beginning about 1000 AD. There is some documented evidence from this time onward. History in the form of written records becomes relatively abundant by the 1300s.

Vikings       

 Vikings seem to have begun more raiding then trading perhaps a bit before 900 AD. By 1100 AD Swedes were colonizing much of the Finnish coast. Swedish colonization of the coast was well established by 1300 AD. This happened after a successful Second Crusade by Sweden led to the defeat of the Tavastian. Weren't the Finn of the time referred to as Tavastian? It seems the Swedes said that they would just take over Finnic coastal trade until they became good Christians.

Finland        

            We can move forward in time and farther inland from the coast as we move on in our look into Finns and Finland. There are written chronicles of 1417 which mention Koskela village near the rapids of the Vantaa River Near which Helsinki would be founded.

        Helsinki was established as a trading town by King Gustav I of Sweden in 1550 as the town of Helsingfors which he intended to be a rival to the Hasiatic city of Reval on the southern shores of the Gulf of Finland now known as Tallinn. Most agree that Reval won that rivalry

Estonia        

            The Hasiatic city of Reval soon became Tallinn. It became the northernmost member of the Hasiatic League. Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia. Estonia is a close neighbor of Finland. Tallinn is known in most of the world by variants of its other historical name, Reval. It was a significant trade hub from the 1300s to the 1500s. Vanillin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site is part of the present day Tallinn.

Reval is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe. 

        In this little essay I am attempting to begin with the earliest times and gradually move toward introductions to more recent times. So, here I mention that the Comb ceramic pottery found on the site of Tallinn dates to before 3000 BC. The Corded Ware there dates to about 2500 BC. Some pottery like Comb ware and Corded ware have been found in Finland.

        I see that I have begun to write more about Estonia than about Finland. Perhaps when I do have Estonia as the topic I will include information about its good neighbor, Finland. I will conclude my excursion into Estonia by saying: Around 1050 AD a fortress was built on Tallinn or on a limestone hill there. It was called Toompea. This is in the central part of the capital of Estonia, which is Tallinn.

Prehistory        

            Back o the early history and prehistory of Finland. Kalevi, sometimes called Kaleva, and his sons are important heroic figures in Estonian, Finnish and Karelia history. In the Finnish epic, the Kalevala, he is an ancient Finnish ruler. In Estonian mythology and in Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's epic poem, Kalevipoeg, king Kalev was the father of king Laevipoeg and husband of Linda. Linda is important in Estonian mythology.

        Memories of Kaleva may have been written as early as 500 AD. In 1551 Michael Agricola published a list of deities mentioning Kaleva. In 1641 it is mentioned by Hwirch Stahl in Leyen Spiegal(?)

        Finnish people called the star, Sirius Kalevan thti. Kaleva's star. Orion's Belt was called Kaleva's sword by them.

        Russians called Tallinn, Kolyva. Sounds a lot like Kaleva here and may indicate a Finnish influence.

        
More Archaeology

Not long ago some archaeologists began to note human-like activity as early as 10,000 years ago in this part of the Baltic area. Mythological information suggests an earlier time for human activity in the Land of the Finns as well as does more recent archaeological findings.

Historians

        The word history as used by historians refers to documented history. For them history is written history and begins with the advent of writing. That includes much of that which has been called mythology. Personally I can remember no one who believes every thing that has been written just as it is written. Historians are familiar with the word discretion and most use its meaning in their professional thoughts. Historians have have sometimes found useful hints and orientations in their reading of selected mythology.

      Historians and archaeologists can be aided by those who work in geological time. Let's look at some very recent geologic time. The Allerod oscillation, from about 13,900 BP to about 12,900 BP was a warm and moist period near the end of the most recent Glacial Period. It raised the temperatures of the northern region to almost present levels. It is in this period we first detect evidence of human activity in the Baltic north. We have learned a lot and have a lot to learn. By "we" I mean to imply you, me, and humanity in general. "We" as used in "...we first detect evidence of human activity" is also my word but I got it by interpreting the writing of another. I took it to mean "scientific authorities," but I am not positive of that. When we get really serious, we could look for names, address, and professional histories of the "we," "they," and "them" so often spoken of.

        I take the following to be the very best guesses of  top authorities in the field and very useful information. I am seldom completely wrong, but I'm not perfect.

Here we are back in the realm of archaeology which can be very helpful when looking into prehistoric times. To date, that which has been called the Bromme culture, may be the first culture to be detected in the northern Baltic area. The Bromme culture has  been dated to from about 13,800 BP to about 12,000 BP. The landscape then was taiga and tundra, Reindeer seem to have been central to their economy. It was hunted, as were moose, elk, wolverine, and beaver. Sounds pretty much like the far north of Finland. This culture is known from archaeological sites in Denmark and one near Malmo in Sweden. South and west of Finland (Finland where more archaeological work may need to be done.) But that is getting pretty close to the land of the Finns. This Bromme culture seems much the same as the Ahrensburg culture, but seems to predate it. They could be called late Paleolithic reindeer hunters and perhaps a pre-flood people. Maybe they spoke a bit like the Finns.

        There is more to say about the cultures around the Baltic Sea. There is much more to learn about the people touched by that sea.

        Not long ago, 4000 BC seem very long ago and it is more than 6000 years ago. Still now we are learning more and more about times before 8000 BC.

        Now many envision an enormous past, which may have included us, longer than 200,000 years ago, but life goes on to long before that and may included our relatives. Many have long understood that accounts in the biblical Old Testament pointed us toward realities. We have learned that we have a history which begins long before the extinction event(s) which followed the ending of the most recent Ice Age. Many of us first learned of those events in the Biblical account of "Noah's flood."

        Archaeologists and others are rapidly filling in our understanding of happenings and doings between the time of grandparents to "that" flood and on to windows of human history from long before that flood.

        Thank you for reading. To correct my mistakes or increase my knowledge write to me at  magobill@gmail.com

                                                                Richard 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

   

Baltic Sea Orientation

History With RCS: Many have known the Baltic Sea including: Dane, Swede, Finn, Viking, Russian, Slav, Krivichs, Latvian, Estonian, Prussian, Pole, Jute, Cimbri, Celt, Irish, German, and more.

                The Baltic Sea opens on the Atlantic Ocean and is in the northwestern part of Europe. It has had a complex geographic history. It seems best to begin with some of its most recent geographic history.

                The Baltic has been called a brackish inland sea with a geological history which has prove difficult to clarify. We know that it is a marginal sea of the Atlantic and that it drains into the Atlantic through the Danish straights by way of the little Kattagat sea. Some of its major surface features include thee Gulf of Bothnia and the Bay of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Riga, and the Bay of Gdansk.

                It is brackish because of the following major rivers flowing into it: the Oder, Vistula, Neman, Daugava, and the Neva. Brackishness is aided by the fall of rain and snow and by the flow of smaller rivers and streams.

                Not far from the the Baltic Sea entrance to the Atlantic Ocean, one may encounter the Kattagat, and area of somewhat shallow sea. This small sea is bounded by the Jutland Peninsula in the West, the Danish Straights and the rest of the Baltic Sea, and to the east by the shores of Sweden.

The Gulf of Bothnia:

                The word "bothnia" seems to have referred to lowland shores or to lowlands in general. The Gulf of Bothnia is bordered by lowland shores. The Gulf is not shallow, but the land beneath it continues to rise since its release from its Ice Age burden of ice. The Gulf still freezes over in winter. 

                I hope to research the history of Sweden and Finland to learn more of the people who have lived along the Gulf of Bothnia. Please share with us any info you may have about this Gulf. You can use the "comments" section below to do so. I can say now that it seems that in the 9th century, Ottar, a viking adventurer, referred to the Gulf as the Kven Sea. In the 15th century a Danish navigator may have referred to it as the Mare Gotticus. Bothnia Bay is a northern extension of the Gulf.

 

The Gulf of Finland:

                The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost branch of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland on the north and Estonia on the south; then on to Saint Petersburg, Russia, where the Neva River drains into it. Other major cities on the Gulf are Helsinki and Tallinn. 

                In the early post Ice Age, the Gulf of Finland was preceded by the Littoriana Sea. That sea stood as high as 30 feet above the present sea level. A lot of ice had melted. By some 4,000 years ago the sea had receded to near present levels.

Archaeology:

                Archaeologists have found the lands along the Gulf of Finland began to be settled(again?) about 9,000 BC by people physically very like us. To me Archaeology is a continuance of history. some would call it prehistory. So, we do seem to be moving from geography to history; history is about the doings, learnings and happenings of those who preceded us. So, onward. As early as 1905 AD eleven neolithic settlements had been found along the Gulf of coast. The early cultures found there include the Finnic, Eesti/Chud, Votes. and Korela. Neolithic means new stone age. Don't fee to smug about Stone Age people. We are finding that some of them were able to do things with stone that we are unable to do.

                    Later, into more historic times, about between 700 AD and 900 AD, East Slavs, Ilman Slavs, and Krivichs settled along the Neva River and pars of the Gulf of Finland. They practiced agriculture and animal husbandry. Between about 700 AD and 1,200 AD the river Neva and the Gulf were part of the waterway from Scandinavia to the Byzantine Empire!

                Historic information  for this area becomes more abundant from about 850 AD. About that time they may held in Russian hands until 1219 AD when the Danes took control. In this same period the city of Reva was established in the area of the present city of Tallinn. There is a lot to learn about this whole Baltic area and I intend to write more about it in a future post.

The Gulf of Riga:                

                The Gulf of Riga lies between Latvian and Estonia on the Baltic Sea. I will find out more about this area and write of it in a future post after a review of the early histories of Latvia and Estonia. A look at the histories of the the cities: Riga, Parnu, and Jumala will help me to give you fuller details.

The Bay of Gdansk: 

                The Bay of Gdansk has history which may include my Prussian, Polish, and German ancestors. The Vistula River flows into this bay. Some consider the bay as extending to the Russian city of Kaliningrad and to the coast of Lithuania.

There be Kursenieki: 

                There are Kursenieki on the Bay of Gdansk. They have been there long, They call their language Curonian. Some linguists see it as related to Latvian so Latvian could be related to it. Kursenieki have also been called Prussian  Latvians. Who are these people? They live on a well visited sea coast and near to the outlet of a navigable river. So, they are, and have been, subject to much social and cultural exchange.

                Let's travel back to where the Baltic Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Near there is the little Kattagat Sea. The name Kattagat may be of Swedish origin. I have a vague memory of a queen Kattagat who may have been a Swede. This little sea is certainly a Scandinavian area.

Jutlandic Peninsula: 

                The Jutlandic Peninsula juts into the Kattagat Sea and is part of was once Jutland. The peninsula was once called the Cimbric or the Cimbrian Peninsula. It is now part of Denmark. Jutes and Cimbri have lived there.

                Jutes are named among powerful Germanic invaders of England. I might not have called them Germanic, but rather have called them Vikings, Norse. Scandinavian, or even Celtic, but I have a lot to learn. Still, it dose seem that a few others feel some confusion too. There is a reason the peninsula has been called Jute. Maybe we can find out who the Jutes are. That peninsula was an area of a lot of trade and activity before during and after the Roman Empire. Any there it is at the Kattagat Sea.

The Cimbri:

                Let's not pass by the Cimbri too Quickly. I just learned of them recently.  It seems that they were on the Jutland Peninsula before the Jutes. Some authorities have thought the Cimbri were what we have called Gaulish or Celtic. I have seen that the Jutland Peninsula was called the Cimbrian Peninsula earlier. There is something interesting to be discovered/learned here. Perhaps we can learn more about things Cimbrian. So far I have found little documentary evidence of their nature or doings. I have yet to see any archaeological evidence.

                I do find that there is evidence that for a very long time there was a seasonal migration from the Baltic area to the Iberian Peninsula. The migration may have somehow included England and Ireland and may have ext+ended to the Balearic Islands! So, there was probably travel from this Peninsula to that one; Cimbric to Iberian and back. It sounds right, but I am surprised; even pleasantly amazed.

                This is getting good. There was a Cimbrian military expedition against 1st century Rome! Who are these Cimbri? Who were they. Ah, history! If you know anything about the Cimbri or find out anything, please feel free to tell us about it in "comments" below.

                I see it written that there were Belgians of Cimbrian origin. The Romans might have called them Germans, but they called everyone in the area German. I am not really sure who the Celts or Gauls were other than they almost certainly had Indo-European origins. I do have a faint memory of reading of a people who could have been Cimbrians, but who some called Celts, joined Carthaginians to resist Rome.

                Okay, I had best stop here until I get some more information, or until I hear from you. Remember blogs are supposed to have some interactivity.

                Please feel free to correct my spelling or other errors, or to add pertinent information to the content of this essay.

                Thank you for reading.

                                                                                   rcs

 

Balt History: an exploration

History With RCS: Toward an exploration of Baltic Sea Cultures. 

                Before getting into the cultures active in the area I would like to introduce some of its geological and geographic features. But as a taste of doings and happenings to come I'll mention a few. Amber has long been collected and traded there. River and sea commerce has long been very active. Even now Russian and Dane meet there, Finn and Swede too, and a good many more. Ancient cultures there were Scythian, Celt, and Slav to name a few. Norsemen learn viking their and reach Byzantium.

                Th Baltic Sea is an important feature on the face of Earth and on the course of world history. It has been called a brackish inland sea the geological history of which is unclear. You can check it out a Google Maps and elsewhere.

                If you look at the Atlantic Ocean and looked to its northeast margin and there looked landward you would see a large body of water with outlet to the Atlantic. It drains into the Atlantic through the Danish straights by of the little, somewhat shallow, Kattagat sea If you were a seaman you might note passing through the Great Belt and the Little Belt. Once well within the Sea you could find some prominent gulfs and bays. There is the Gulf of Bothnia and the Bay of Bothnia, The Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Riga, and the bay of Gdansk.

                That shallow little sea called Kattagat is bounded by the Jutlandic Peninsula in the west, the Danish Straights and the Baltic Sea to the south and the shores of Sweden to the east. It's okay if you feel more disoriented then oriented. You will begin to remember the names and that is a good start.

                The word bothnia seems to have referred to lowlands or to lowland shores. The Gulf of Bothnia is fairly deep, but geologically the land beneath it is still rising from its release from its Ice Age burden of ice. It can still freeze over in winter.

               Take a breath, there are more geographic references to come, but finally with some admixture of history. 

                You could help us with info about the Gulf of Bothnia. I am sure that it is important in the stories of both Finland and Sweden. A 15th century navigator may have referred to it as the Mare Gotticus. Ottar, a viking age adventurer in the 9the century may have referred to it as the Kven Sea.

                Bothnia Bay may be thought of as a northern landward extension of the Gulf of Bothnia. Both Bay and Gulf may freeze over in winter.

                The Gulf of Finland is the eastern most branch of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland on the north, and Estonia on the south, to Saint Petersburg, Russia in the east where the river Neva flows into it. Other major cities on that gulf are Helsinki and Tallinn.

                I am checking many facts with Wikipedia but errors here are surely mine. Please feel free to correct errors and to make useful additions by way of "comments" at the end of this post.

                In the Post Ice Age of the Gulf of Finland that gulf was preceded by the Littorina Sea. The level of that sea was about 30 feet above present sea level. By some 4,000 years ago, the Littorina Sea had receded to about present level.

                Archaeologists have found that the lands along the Gulf of Finland began to be settled in about 9,000 BC, not long after the last Ice Age. Returning to our own Age, as early as 1905 AD, eleven neolithic settlements had been found along the Gulf. Among the early cultures were Finnic, Eesti, Votes/Chud, Izorians, and Korela. 

                We have begun to talk pre-historic. So, now we are considering  people!

                There is evidence that between about 700 AD and 900 AD East Slavs, Ilman Slavs, and Krivichs were along the Neva river and the Gulf of Finland. These cultures practiced agriculture and animal husbandry. Between 700 AD and 1,200 AD the river Neva and the gulf were part of the inland waterway from Scandinavia to the Byzantine Empire. Norsemen were practicing viking along these waterways.

                Now we have entered historic times and there are documents to prove it! 

                Historic information becomes more abundant from 850 AD when the Gulf of Finland was held by Russians and after 1229 when Danes took control. During this period the city of Reval was established on what was to become the area of Tallinn. There is a lot to find out about this Baltic area and the finds are becoming more abundant.

                The Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea lies between modern Latvia and Estonia. We can learn more of this gulf through a study of the histories of these two lands. A look at the cities of Riga, Parnu, Jumala, and Kuressare could help too. I bet we can learn more about their earliest days.

                The Bay of Gdansk is taking my interest already. It's history may may touch on the lives of some of my Prussian, Polish, and even German ancestors. The Vistula River flows into it. Some consider the Bay widening to include Russian Kaliningrad and the coast of Lithuania.

                There be Kursenieki on this bay. They have been there long. They call their language Curonian. There are those who the language as related to Latvian. They have been called Prussian Latvians. They are a mystery to which their language may be a clue. They are certainly not a geographically isolated people. They are on a well visited sea coast and near the mouth of a long navigated river and so have witnessed much trade and commerce.

                Before 1,200 AD a Curonian people held a privileged position on the Baltic Sea. The Coruland Peninsula was theirs. However, by the mid 1600s they are not mentioned. The Curonian Peninsula is now western Latvia so one supposes that those of Curonian blood are now mostly of Latvian culture, but bet Latvian culture is now a bit Curonian. There is some discussion as to whether they originally came from the east or the west. I believe that they may have been the first to arrive on the Sea of all who are now there. 

                We are still looking at a lot of geography. Geography does effect culture and the story of culture is history. As we progress we may see the people more clearly in their backdrop of Baltic Sea and surrounding lands. We begin to see how people can be grounded in their geography. We have already learned the names of some of the people who have found their home here around this sea.

                Let's get back to where the Baltic waters meet the Atlantic ocean. Kattagat, the name of the little sea area near the Baltic entrance to the Atlantic is probably Swedish origin. I seem to remember a queen Kattagat who may have been a Swede. This sea is certainly placed so as to be Scandinavian. The Jutland peninsula juts here. It is part of Jutland. Long ago this same peninsula was called the Cimbric or Cimbrian peninsula. Now it is part of Denmark; Jutes and Cimbri used to live there.

                Waite a minute, the Cimbri are a people new to me. They are the first people, we know about, to live on this peninsula not far from the Baltic entrance to the Atlantic. I find that they have been thought to be Gaulish or Celtic and the Jutland peninsula was once Cimbrian peninsula. The meaning of Celt is a bit broad, but they are generally accepted to be early Indo-Eurpoean arrivals. Gaulish often refers to and early Celtic language. It may prove interesting to learn more of these guys, and gals. Is there any archaeological evidence of them on the peninsula? I'll try to be alert to historical documentation of them. There name is a big hint.

                It does seem that there is evidence of there being a long period of of annual migrations from the Baltic area and perhaps England and Ireland to the Iberian peninsula and back with the seasons from pre- Roman times. It sounds right and amazing at the same time. There was a whole lot of motion going on. There was even a Cimbria military expedition against 1st century Rome! Who are these Cambrians? Were they some of the Celts who joined Carthaginians to resist Rome. Some of those Celts where from Ireland.

                It has been said that there were Belgians of Cimbrian origin. I see no evidence of Cimbrians being German, other than the Romans calling everyone in the area German. 

                Scythian has been called Cimerian. Could Cimerian be Cimbrian? Cimbrians seem to have been a trading people and Scythians were great traders even before their Hellenization. I may be reaching to far.

            This brings us to the end of these preliminary words here. I intend there to be more. When you are interested please tell me so. Also if you know or find info on the Cimbri, PLEASE tell us about it here. Use the "comments" section just below. If you are one who has not yet explored this blog, get busy. 

                Thank you for reading.

 

                                                                       rcs