Viking Age Trade and Waterway Connections in Southwestern Finland

This article examines the extent to which the societies of Southwestern Finland were connected to Baltic Sea trade and where these connections manifested. Due to previously scarce material evidence, archaeological research has interpreted the region’s maritime trade connections as limited. Combining previous data and recent metal detectorist finds of hacksilver, weights, and scales, trade connections within the region are re-evaluated. The spatial and statistical analysis of 481 trade-related finds is conducted in relation to waterways, central places, and the only known Viking Age trading site in Finland, Kyrksundet. The results show a strong association between trade finds, waterways, and central places, where medieval churches were later established, and suggest the existence of a previously unrecognised trading site. The overall distribution of trade finds points towards the existence of a maritime and fluvial trade network operating from central places to outlands. The results demonstrate that the societies of Southwestern Finland were integrated into the Baltic Sea trade and participated directly in the silver-based exchange system.