Archaeological Sites Destroyed in Finland

As continuation onto yesterday's post about the battle between maritime archaeologists and treasure hunters, I wanted to make people aware that destruction to archaeological sites does not just happen underwater.

Finland. Source

An article published by Yle News (the Finnish version of BBC) states that some well-known archaeological sites in Finland have been subjected to vandalism. One person or several people have been digging holes around the sites without permission. These holes does not seem to be the work of professional archaeologists.

The unfortunate side of archaeology is that it is destructive. Once something has been dug then there is no way of putting it back as it was, consequently important knowledge is lost and the archaeological record is flawed. People should be aware that it is illegal to dig on known archaeological sites (both terrestrial and maritime) without permission.

Hakoinen Castle in Janakkala, Finland, was one of the sites subjected to vandalism. Source

If anyone would be interested in becoming an archaeologist, there are a range of different courses available all over the world. Many universities offer archaeology as a degree subject, but you can also find smaller organisations organising courses in archaeology in your local area and probably for a cheaper price.

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