Antiquities are structures and formations created as a result of human activity which have been preserved in the ground. For instance, they include ancient dwelling and burial sites, worship and sacrificial sites, fortifications, and relics related to daily living such as pitfalls, long-since burnt-over cultivation clearings, and tar-burning pits. These are called non-movable antiquities. Other ancient artefacts, pieces of artefacts, and materials resulting from their production, can also be found on the ground which do not belong to any non-movable antiquity. These are movable artefacts.
How were antiquities formed?
People settled in the area of today's Finland over 10,000 years ago. They built and made everything they needed to live, such as dwellings, pitfalls, and holy sites. As time passed, the oldest items were left unused, replaced by newer. The older ones decomposed and were forgotten. And so antiquities were born.
The number of known antiquities is constantly growing, because more are discovered every year. Approximately 14,000 non-movable antiquities from prehistoric times are known, as well as a large number of ancient artefacts. There are even more relics belonging to the time of written history.
