Hobby archaeologists reshape Estonia’s Bronze Age history

Finds made by hobbyists using metal detectors have doubled the number of Bronze Age objects known in Estonia over the past 20 years, ERR reported. The discoveries have overturned the earlier view that the region was a peripheral area during the period.

The number of known objects has risen from 80 to 160. Valter Lang, a professor at the University of Tartu’s Institute of History and Archaeology, said the increase had significantly changed the understanding of Estonia’s Bronze Age, including the view that the period was barely present in the region.

“Much more bronze circulated here than previously thought, although the figures are still far below those of Scandinavia, which was a major centre of Bronze Age culture. We are catching up strongly with Latvia and Finland,” Lang said on the programme “Attention! This Is Science.”

The new finds have also pushed back the estimated start of local bronze casting. Bronze objects were probably made in Estonia 500 to 600 years earlier than researchers had previously believed based on earlier material. Archaeologists can now say with confidence that the local socketed axe type was being cast here around 1400 to 1300 BC.

Axes make up a significant share of the Bronze Age material. Researchers have found both large, well-made working axes and smaller tools designed for specific purposes. Their shapes and sizes show a clear development over time.

During the earlier part of the Bronze Age, craftspeople cast relatively large axes. Toward the end of the period, the tools became progressively smaller. Lang said one possible explanation was the need to save metal and produce more axes from the available supply. He added that the trend was seen not only in Estonia but across Northern Europe.

The new finds also show that imported valuable metal was distributed unevenly across Estonia. Most objects are concentrated in three distinct core areas: one around Tallinn, stretching from Keila to Kahala; another covering part of Virumaa; and a third encompassing the islands of Saaremaa and Muhu.

All three areas are located by the sea. Coastal communities had access to overseas contacts through which the bronze needed in the region arrived.

Tuuli Kurisoo, a senior researcher at Tallinn University’s School of Humanities, said the growing number of finds was revealing broader developments in the region. “Thousands of finds help identify new distribution patterns and give us a clearer picture of different periods in Estonia’s history,” Kurisoo said.

The new data are reaching researchers because of regulations governing the activities of hobby searchers. Metal detecting is allowed in Estonia if the person has completed training and holds a permit.