properties. Archaeological finds contain, among other things, bone skates made from the
long bones of moose, horses or oxen.
Skis were particularly important for winter hunting and travel. More than 100 skis
have been discovered in bogs, where the preservation of wood is exceptionally good;
one-third of these have been dated by pollen analysis and radiocarbon to before the year
ad 1200. The skis were all carved of pine, an elastic and hard material that had good
sliding properties due to the natural resin content. The most widespread ski type is
known as the Bothnic ski, which already appeared in its oldest form towards the end of
the Bronze Age. The Bothnic ski is typically short (less than 165 cm) and lanceolate; it
has a flat bottom, an elevated foot platform and a horizontal transverse hole for the
binding. The Bothnic ski was used primarily north of the 62 nd parallel, and many of the
known examples are beautifully decorated.
Quite early in the Stone Age, Finnish skis were already furnished with a bottom
channel. Thanks to this channel, which during the early Iron Age was almost as wide as
the ski itself, but shrank later to less than half of the ski’s breadth, the ski slid better and
was consequently faster and easier to steer. These slender skis could be up to 3 m long
and were often decorated with grooved lines or artistically executed band patterns.
A special type is the asymmetrical-paired skis, which consist of a long left ski with
bottom channel and a notably shorter right ski. The bottom of the latter was covered
with stiff-haired hide, the hairs pointing backward for traction. This type of ski required
a different technique than even-paired skis: the skier slid along on the long left ski while
kicking with the shorter right ski and maintaining balance with a ski pole. At least
during the historical period, asymmetrical-paired skis were used primarily for moose
hunting. We do not know for sure exactly when they came into use, but judging from
the fact that they are mentioned in ancient Finnish folk poems, they were probably
known already in the prehistoric period.
The contacts between the Iron Age villages that are reflected in the archaeological
finds naturally required seasonal or year-round travel routes. The shallow and narrow
rivers of south-western Finland were not exceptionally well suited for boat traffic;
for instance the Kokemäenjoki River, which was an important connecting route
between the settlement area of Häme and the coast during the early Iron Age; became
unnavigable during the Viking Age. Rivers could nevertheless be used for local traffic
and winter travel. However, the most important route between the two settlement areas
was the Häme Ox Road, which became the primary connection between Finland Proper
and Häme as early as the ninth century.
The winter season with its severe weather of ice, snow and freezing temperatures
naturally entailed a form of isolation as far as trade traffic and foreign contacts were
concerned, but it was in no way a season of passiveness and isolation. As the sagas
relate, winter was a time for social contacts, when people hosted each other and traded
experiences and news while planning for the coming spring and summer.
SOCIETY AND ECONOMYSeen as a whole, the Viking Age can be characterised as a period when the country’s
population had access to a higher standard of living than ever before. The international-
isation of trade and the economic boom stimulated the community and created resources
for domestic fine handicrafts, for example. The boom also brought with it a population
–– Torsten Edgren––