Books by Titta Kallio-Seppä
Kallio-Seppä, T., Lipkin, S., Väre, T., Moilanen, U. & Tranberg, A. 2022. Unusual Death and Memor... more Kallio-Seppä, T., Lipkin, S., Väre, T., Moilanen, U. & Tranberg, A. 2022. Unusual Death and Memorialization - Burial, Space, and Memory in the Post-Medieval North. Berghahn Books, New York & Oxford.
Papers by Titta Kallio-Seppä
Historical Archaeology, 2021
Archaeological material from early modern Sweden reveals that material and social meaning was int... more Archaeological material from early modern Sweden reveals that material and social meaning was intertwined in townscape odors; that is, odors and their association with unhygienic conditions affected the physical structure of the town, its material culture, and different traditions in the use of "townspace." During the latter half of the 18th century, the town of Oulu suffered from unpleasant smells related to ponds and wet areas, and the odor of decomposing flesh from under-floor church burials greeted church visitors, despite the tradition of placing fragrant plants inside coffins. In the 18th century the town underwent deliberate changes: the ponds were drained and filled, burials under the church floor were prohibited, and one of the first graveyards located outside the town and separate from the church was constructed. These actions to change the town's "smellscape" reflect emergent notions of regularity and cleanliness related to the Age of Enlightenment.
Historical Archaeology
Two ongoing projects at the University of Oulu, Finland, are studying burials situated below the ... more Two ongoing projects at the University of Oulu, Finland, are studying burials situated below the floorboards of Finnish churches. The projects examine mortality and materiality in Finland using an exceptionally well-preserved assemblage of mummified human remains. Multidisciplinary research methods, including CT scanning, μCT scanning, sampling for DNA and isotope analysis, and insect and plant samples, are providing multifaceted information concerning past societies. The samples provide rich insight into the material dimensions of mortality in northern Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since the studied material is located under the floors of church buildings that are still in use by congregations, obtaining permits for research and sampling has required managing relationships with separate parishes. This article outlines the projects and examines the ethical and legal dimensions of research on human remains conducted in partnership with individual parishes.
Historical Archaeology, 2020
Two ongoing projects at the University of Oulu, Finland, are studying burials situated below the ... more Two ongoing projects at the University of Oulu, Finland, are studying burials situated below the floorboards of Finnish churches. The projects examine mortality and materiality in Finland using an exceptionally well-preserved assemblage of mummified human remains. Multidisciplinary research methods, including CT scanning, μCT scanning, sampling for DNA and isotope analysis, and insect and plant samples, are providing multifaceted information concerning past societies. The samples provide rich insight into the material dimensions of mortality in northern Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since the studied material is located under the floors of church buildings that are still in use by congregations, obtaining permits for research and sampling has required managing relationships with separate parishes. This article outlines the projects and examines the ethical and legal dimensions of research on human remains conducted in partnership with individual parishes.
Historical Archaeology
Archaeological material from early modern Sweden reveals that material and social meaning was int... more Archaeological material from early modern Sweden reveals that material and social meaning was intertwined in townscape odors; that is, odors and their association with unhygienic conditions affected the physical structure of the town, its material culture, and different traditions in the use of “townspace.” During the latter half of the 18th century, the town of Oulu suffered from unpleasant smells related to ponds and wet areas, and the odor of decomposing flesh from under-floor church burials greeted church visitors, despite the tradition of placing fragrant plants inside coffins. In the 18th century the town underwent deliberate changes: the ponds were drained and filled, burials under the church floor were prohibited, and one of the first graveyards located outside the town and separate from the church was constructed. These actions to change the town’s “smellscape” reflect emergent notions of regularity and cleanliness related to the Age of Enlightenment.
Historical Archaeology, 2019
This article focuses on the processes of me-morialization and heritagization through a case study... more This article focuses on the processes of me-morialization and heritagization through a case study from Oulu, Finland, where a cast-iron rail encircling a pine tree constitutes a memorial marking the site of the country's last official execution by hanging in 1916. The memorial and its immediate surroundings are examined here through historical documents and maps, tree-ring data, interviews, and the results of small-scale archaeological excavations. The evidence indicates various modes of interaction-crosses carved on the memorial tree, a magical cache, finds pertaining mainly to the consumption of intoxicating substances-exposing a lesser-known and more intimate side of the site biography than is evident from written records. Finally, both individual and national practices of remembering and forgetting related to the memorial highlight the way memorialization transformed the death of an ordinary man into a nationalistic symbol to be used and exploited in various quarters during the past century. Extracto Este artículo se centra en los procesos de conmemoración y herencia a través de un estudio de caso de Oulu, Finlandia, donde un riel de hierro fundido que rodea un pino constituye un monumento que marca el lugar de la última ejecución oficial en la horca en 1916. Se examinan el monumento y sus alrededores inmediatos a través de documentos y mapas históricos, datos de anillos de árbol, entrevistas y los resultados de excavaciones arqueológicas a pequeña escala. La evidencia indica varios modos de interacción: cruces talladas en el árbol conmemorativo, un escondite mágico, hallazgos relacionados principalmente con el consumo de sustancias intoxicantes, revelando un lado menos conocido y más íntimo de la biografía del sitio que el que se desprende de los registros escritos. Finalmente, las prácticas individuales y nacionales de recordar y olvidar relacionadas con el memorial resaltan la manera en que la memorialización transformó la muerte de un hombre común en un símbolo nacionalista para ser utilizado y explotado en varios sectores durante el siglo pasado.
Tiina Väre, Sanna Lipkin, Jaakko Niinimäki, Sirpa Niinimäki, Titta Kallio-Seppä, Juho-Antti Junno... more Tiina Väre, Sanna Lipkin, Jaakko Niinimäki, Sirpa Niinimäki, Titta Kallio-Seppä, Juho-Antti Junno, Milton Núñez, Markku Niskanen, Matti Heino, Annemari Tranberg, Saara Tuovinen, Rosa Vilkama, Timo Ylimaunu
We utilize computed tomography (CT) to study early modern burials once deposited beneath Finnish churches, some of which contain mummified remains. The method allows performing repeated 3-dimentional layer-by-layer dissections not only to the human remains but to the whole burials. We are able to conclude about the burial materials – such as the coffin itself but also the textiles, ornaments, plant particles and other accessories sealed inside it – without harming this unique heritage. The examination functions as a virtual, repeatable, non-invasive excavation. This is the first CT study of Finnish mummies and examination of the artefacts associated with the burials via CT is a relative novelty. The project was initiated with a CT study of the mummified remains of a 17th-century vicar, and coffins of seven sub-adults have been imaged since it. So far we have revealed pathological conditions the vicar suffered from and conclude about the preservation and funerary attires.
The Journal of Scandinavian History 2013, 38 (4): 525-548, Aug 14, 2013
"""Some 220 000 German soldiers were stationed and fighting in Northern Finland during World War ... more """Some 220 000 German soldiers were stationed and fighting in Northern Finland during World War II. These troops needed huge amounts of supplies which were provided by supply encampments in several locations, including the towns of Oulu and Tornio. In this paper we consider how the memory of these German-built sites has shaped post-war urbanization. We will review and challenge the authorized history of the post-war urbanization of the northern towns.
"""
Journal of Material Culture 2014, Feb 20, 2014
Journal of Material Culture June 2014 19: 145-167, Feb 20, 2014
This article discusses street mirrors or gossip mirrors in terms of urban social relations and su... more This article discusses street mirrors or gossip mirrors in terms of urban social relations and surveillance. These mirrors were introduced to Sweden and Finland during the 18th and early 19th century and have been used in coastal towns of Finland since the 18th century. Today, they are preserved in coastal towns with old wooden centers. Increasing urban populations and social insecurity caused the need to create monitoring and spying devices, such as street mirrors, since the 18th century. Mirrors were one material mechanism in the modernization process and in the development of contemporary individuality.
Scandinavian Journal of History, 2013
ABSTRACT
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 17, (4): 632-650, Jul 29, 2013
In 1822, a devastating town fire sealed a large ceramic assemblage from a store in the town of Ou... more In 1822, a devastating town fire sealed a large ceramic assemblage from a store in the town of Oulu in northern Finland. Excavations of the merchant's stock recovered over a hundred kilograms of ceramics that was almost entirely composed of undecorated creamware, a ware and decorative type whose popularity had faded significantly by the 1820s. The assemblage reveals the global complexities in the international ceramics trade in the early 19th century, provides insight into some of the mass-produced commodities reaching geographically peripheral markets, underscores distinctive European market influences, and illuminates marketing and social practices that shaped consumption in markets like Oulu.
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Books by Titta Kallio-Seppä
Papers by Titta Kallio-Seppä
We utilize computed tomography (CT) to study early modern burials once deposited beneath Finnish churches, some of which contain mummified remains. The method allows performing repeated 3-dimentional layer-by-layer dissections not only to the human remains but to the whole burials. We are able to conclude about the burial materials – such as the coffin itself but also the textiles, ornaments, plant particles and other accessories sealed inside it – without harming this unique heritage. The examination functions as a virtual, repeatable, non-invasive excavation. This is the first CT study of Finnish mummies and examination of the artefacts associated with the burials via CT is a relative novelty. The project was initiated with a CT study of the mummified remains of a 17th-century vicar, and coffins of seven sub-adults have been imaged since it. So far we have revealed pathological conditions the vicar suffered from and conclude about the preservation and funerary attires.
"""
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We utilize computed tomography (CT) to study early modern burials once deposited beneath Finnish churches, some of which contain mummified remains. The method allows performing repeated 3-dimentional layer-by-layer dissections not only to the human remains but to the whole burials. We are able to conclude about the burial materials – such as the coffin itself but also the textiles, ornaments, plant particles and other accessories sealed inside it – without harming this unique heritage. The examination functions as a virtual, repeatable, non-invasive excavation. This is the first CT study of Finnish mummies and examination of the artefacts associated with the burials via CT is a relative novelty. The project was initiated with a CT study of the mummified remains of a 17th-century vicar, and coffins of seven sub-adults have been imaged since it. So far we have revealed pathological conditions the vicar suffered from and conclude about the preservation and funerary attires.
"""
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We will discuss how these images reflect the archaeological record of northern towns in the coastal area of the northern Baltic Sea. We will combine the iconography of poems and images to cartographical records and archaeological finds to discuss how these images of contemporary colonialist ideas were used inside Sweden. The archaeological finds from northern towns, like Tornio and Oulu, do correlate with the written record of poems, which in turn relates to the trade connections inside contemporary Sweden and further into the colonial world outside of northern Europe.
"
was exhumed and reburied to the churchyard in summer 1917, just before Finland became independent from Russia. Today, the site is a memorial whose authenticity has also been questioned. The memorial is approached here through the results of dendrochronological analysis and small-scale excavations that also aimed to investigate the various forms of memorization taken place at the site during the past century. Question regarding ethical rights of archaeologists to disclaim the authenticity experienced by the public will also be dealt with.