Archaeological research is the study of the traces left by people in the past. Although archaeology can be used to study any period of time, even yesterday, it plays a particularly important role in the study of prehistory. There are no written sources from those times, but signs of prehistoric people are all around us and in the ground.
Archaeological research is not just about digging the ground. Excavations are a way of gathering information and material that needs to be studied in more detail using a variety of methods to gain insights into how people worked and thought in ancient times.
The challenge of Stone Age research is often the scarcity of evidence and the bias caused by preservation conditions. The influence of modern ideas on our interpretations is also inevitable, even if the research aims to be objective. Our ideas about matters like the exchange of goods, the passage of time, the past and the future are certainly very different from those of ancient people.
Can you put yourself in the shoes of a person from the Stone Age? By visiting and experiencing Kierikki, you can get a little closer to the Stone Age mindscape.
