Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

Situated on the Gulf of Bothnia, the Bronze Age Burial Site of Sammallahdenmäki forms the largest, most varied and complete burial site from the Scandinavian Bronze Age, 1500-500 B.C. The site includes 33 burial cairns within an area of 36 ha. The cairns are disposed in several distinct clusters along the crests and upper slopes of a long ridge. Out of eight excavated cairns, six can be dated to the Bronze Age and two to the Early Iron Age.

Stone burial cairns were typical for western Bronze Age culture. These cairns were usually constructed of granite boulders quarried from the cliff face below the crest of the ridge or collected from the site itself. The cairns can be classified into several different groups according to their shapes and sizes. Sammallahdenmäki also contains two unusual structures: one oval and elongated structure, which seems to have been enlarged in successive stages, and a large quadrangular cairn, known as the “Church Floor”, which is unique in Finland and extremely rare in Scandinavia. The cairns have no earth fill, and form landmarks on cliffs and gravel hillocks with an extensive view of the sea.

The cairns relate to a new religion, sun worship, which spread to the coastal regions of Finland from Scandinavia, and they have been a manifestation of kin group landownership, which is thought to have appeared with the introduction of farming.

Situated in a rugged, rocky landscape, the cairns bear exceptional witness to the social and religious structures of northern Europe, dating back to more than three millennia. The ancient coastline is still present on the cliffs of Sammallahdenmäki.

Criterion (iii): The Sammallahdenmäki cairn cemetery bears exceptional witness to the society of the Bronze Age of Scandinavia.

Criterion (iv): The Sammallahdenmäki cemetery is an outstanding example of Bronze Age funerary practices in Scandinavia.

Integrity

The Sammallahdenmäki Bronze Age Burial Site includes all elements and individual structures of cairns in an imposing natural setting, on a high ridge marking the former extent of Lake Saarnijärvi, surrounded by pine and spruce trees, and an agricultural landscape. The completeness of the site makes it an invaluable resource for research on the social behavior of societies of the time. Its remote location has protected it from development and the local population has taken pride in its protection.

The buffer zone includes the surrounding forests and agricultural landscape; to the west, it borders on Lake Saarnijärvi, which is defined as a protected bird sanctuary of national significance.

Authenticity

In terms of form and material, the cairns fully express the essence of the burial site of Sammallahdenmäki, as do the setting and the surrounding natural landscape.

The excavations of the cairns have been carried out in different stages, always taking into consideration scientific methods for research, mapping and documentation, to ensure careful restoration of the cairns.

Protection and management requirements

Sammallahdenmäki is fully protected under the national legislation. The site is managed by a Site Management Board, headed by the National Board of Antiquities, and involves representatives of the regional and local authorities, landowners and various stakeholders. The management and actions taken within the site and its buffer zone are in accordance with the Management Plan. Tourists are guided by signage to use the path network, which has been designed to include routes of different lengths, thus minimizing the threat to the vegetation of the site. Large numbers of tourists can cause long-term damage to the vegetation, which in turn might have a negative impact of the visual aspects of the site. The use of the path network is monitored and documented, which will allow for a timely reaction in case of deterioration.

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