Social and Material World of Medieval and Early Modern (C. 1200 – 1650) Villages in Southern Finland

During the Middle Ages and early modern period, most of the people in Southern Finland lived in villages, but quite little has been known about their everyday life because of the scarceness of historical sources. However, the increasing archaeological material offers a great new opportunity to study the material culture in the villages, and at the same time discuss the social life of the inhabitants.

This study examines medieval villages as a social and material environment through the examples given by five villages located in Uusimaa, Southern Finland. By comparing the excavated buildings, objects, and historical sources, a nuanced picture is drawn of the different sides of the everyday life in the villages. The studied villages clearly demonstrate that the villages were varied environments, and that the differences in the material culture between the farms were closely connected to the differences in social position and contact nets the inhabitants had.