Search
Most of the objects in the historic era collection have been found in urban archaeological digs in Turku. There have been digs at the site of the medieval town as well as in areas untouched by urban living before the 17th and 18th centuries.
These digs have produced a wide range of findings. Due to damp and anoxic conditions, organic materials such as leather and wood have been preserved. Most objects are fragments and pieces, only a few have survived whole.
All prehistoric findings are usually deposited in the collections of the National Museum of Finland. This is based on the Antiquities Act which dictates that the National Board of Antiquities has the right to claim the findings for state collections.
The Turku Museum Centre started assembling its extensive collection of archaeological objects and samples at the end of the 19th century. Today the collection comprises over 100 000 objects dating back to the prehistoric (before 1150 BC) and the historic eras.
The archaeological collection is used in research projects, and it is displayed in exhibitions of the Museum Centre. Objects from this collection are sometimes on loan in other exhibitions.
The findings and samples from archaeological excavations by the Museum Centre are usually deposited in the collection.