The Osiliana archaeological database brings together artefacts from Saaremaa and the surrounding small islands.
Most of Saaremaa’s archaeological finds are held in the collection of the Saaremaa Museum and in the Tallinn University Research Collection.
We are gradually adding more and more finds and hope that it will become a useful tool for all history and archaeology enthusiasts!
Photo: Jaana Ratas.
Octagonal weight, bronze. Such weights can mainly be dated to 850-1000 AD.
Read more:
Gustin, I. 2004. Mellan gåva och marknad. Handel, tillit och materiell Kultur under vikingatid. – Lund Studies in Medieval Archaeology, 34. Malmö, Almqvist & Wiksell, 100-107.
Photo: Jaana Ratas.
Octagonal weight, bronze. Such weights can mainly be dated to 850-1000 AD.
Read more:
Gustin, I. 2004. Mellan gåva och marknad. Handel, tillit och materiell Kultur under vikingatid. – Lund Studies in Medieval Archaeology, 34. Malmö, Almqvist & Wiksell, 100-107.
Octagonal weight, bronze. Such weights can mainly be dated to 850-1000 AD.
Read more:
Gustin, I. 2004. Mellan gåva och marknad. Handel, tillit och materiell Kultur under vikingatid. – Lund Studies in Medieval Archaeology, 34. Malmö, Almqvist & Wiksell, 100-107.
Octagonal weight of bronze. Facets decorated with “eyes”.
Photo: Jaana Ratas.
Octagonal weight of bronze. Facets decorated with “eyes”. Such weights can mainly be dated to 850-1000 AD.
Read more:
Gustin, I. 2004. Mellan gåva och marknad. Handel, tillit och materiell Kultur under vikingatid. – Lund Studies in Medieval Archaeology, 34. Malmö, Almqvist & Wiksell, 100-107.
Finger ring, bronze. Open, with flat front part. The front part has a side ornament made out of intertwined lines. Rings of this type are common in Estonian stone graves.
Finger ring, bronze. Open, with flat front part. The front part has a side ornament made out of intertwined lines. Rings of this type are common in Estonian stone graves. In Gotland they have been dated to the 10th-12th century (Thynmark-Nylén 1998, Taf 143: 24-28; 2006, 158), which is probably also correct for Saaremaa.
Literature:
Thynmark-Nylén, L. 1998. Die Wikingerzeit Gotlands II, Typentafeln. Stockholm: Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien.
A comb-shaped pendant with a cruciform top and a bell, bronze. With ornate lines and cross-branches have concentric circles. Unlike most pendants of this type, the comb-shaped part has three holes, one of which has a small bronze bell attached by a ring. The bell is spherical, with a cruciform opening and a ball inside.
A comb-shaped pendant with a cruciform top and a bell, bronze. With ornate lines and cross-branches have concentric circles. Unlike most pendants of this type, the comb-shaped part has three holes, one of which has a small bronze bell attached by a ring. The bell is spherical, with a cruciform opening and a ball inside. Judging by the analogues, such cross-shaped pendants could belong to the second half of the 10th century or the first half of the 11th century, possibly the whole of the 11th century (for analogues, Kurisoo 1999).
Crossbow brooch, bronze. With transversal cross-sections. Quite a number of such brooches have been found on the Estonian mainland.
Crossbow brooch, bronze. With transversal cross-sections. Quite a number of such brooches have been found on the Estonian mainland. Most likely from the 4th or early 5th century (Lang 2007, 207-208).
Literature:
Gustin, I. 2004. Mellan gåva och marknad. Handel, tillit och materiell Kultur under vikingatid. – Lund Studies in Medieval Archaeology, 34. Malmö, Almqvist & Wiksell, 100-107.
Crab brooch, bronze and iron. Decorated with lines and two eyes. Arched rhomboidal part, needle of iron. Crab brooches are generally considered to be of Finnish origin, which is why this is a rare find for Saaremaa.
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Crab brooch, bronze and iron. Decorated with lines and two eyes. Arched rhomboidal part, needle of iron. Crab brooches are generally considered to be of Finnish origin, which is why this is a rare find for Saaremaa. In Finland, such brooches are dated to the period 550-800 AD, but judging by the size (length only slightly over 4 cm), shape (the head is almost straight) and ornamentation (the eyes appear in the ornamentation of these brooches mainly in the 7th century), the brooch from Lahetaguse could belong to either the second half of the 6th century or the first half of the 7th century (Ranta 1996, 38). This may be a separate subtype for which it is difficult to find an exact match.
Literature:
Ranta, H. 1996. The Finds. – Purhonen, P. (ed). Vainionmäki – A Merovingian Period Cemetery in Laitila, Finland. National Board of Antiquities, Helsinki, 36-72.
Sword scabbard end, bronze. The top part is azure, with a rather robust finish.
Sword scabbard end, bronze. The top part is azure, with a rather robust finish. It has not been possible to find an exact match, but in any case they seem to be missing in Latvia and Lithuania (Tomsons 2018; Kazakevićius 1992). It is possible that the sword scabbard end belongs to the medieval period, as most other finds from the surrounding area.
Literature:
Kazakevićius, V. 1992. Sword shapes from Lithuania. – Die Kontakte zwischen Ostbaltikum und Skandinavien im frühen Mittelalter. Acta Universitatis Stockholmiensis, Studia Baltica Stockholmiensia. Stockholm, 91-107.
Tomsons, A. 2018. Zobeni Latvijas teritorijā no 7. līdz 16. gadsimtam. – Latvijas nacionālā vēstures muzeja raksti nr. 27. Rīga.
The negative value refers to time Before Christ.