DOI article:
Lang, Valter: Prehistoric and medieval field systems in Estonia
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49004#0079
PREHISTORIC AND MEDIEVAL FIELD
SYSTEMS IN ESTONIA
By
Valter Lang
Estonia is rich in fossil field remains of differ-
ent kinds dating from the Late Bronze Age
up to the 18th-19th centuries. Such remains
have been registered, first of all, in the coastal
belt of northern and western Estonia. These
plain areas are of “the Loo” (or in Swedish
Alvar) type,1 where thin and light but humus
rich rendzic leptosols (Reintam 1994) are
widely distributed and represent the birth-
place of Estonian agriculture. As such thin
soils were impoverished by primitive culti-
vation techniques quite quickly, the fields
were soon left and later used as pasture land,
or they became covered with woods. Due to
very thin (10-20 cm) soils, which are not suit-
able for modern tillage, the ancient systems
sometimes survived even the extensive culti-
vation of the kolkhoz time in the 1950s-1980s.
In the inland areas of thicker luvisols and pod-
zols, the earlier fields have been often covered
(destroyed) by later ones and the study of
prehistoric field systems is therefore more
complicated.
Preserved remains of Estonian fossil fields
can be divided into six (or even seven) types:
(1) clearance cairn fields, (2) medieval forest
fields, (3) Baltic fields, (4) Celtic fields, (5)
block-shaped fields and (6) strip fields. In a
few places also some elements of (7) a system
consisting of long stone fences and cattle
paths have been observed. In the present pa-
per each of these types will be characterized
in greater detail.
1. Clearance cairn fields
Clearance cairn fields were amongst the first
types of prehistoric field remains discovered
and investigated by the archaeologists in Es-
tonia. In 1969 excavations (directed by Velio
Lougas) started at Komsi, West Estonia
(Fig. 1.2); later work in the field in the form
of rescue excavations was continued here by
Mati Mandel. Altogether 380 small, round,
totally turf covered clearance cairns were lo-
cated, scattered without any order, in the area
of 1 sq.km, and 78 of them have been exca-
vated (Lougas and Selirand 1989, 118; Eesti
talurahva ajalugu 1992, 69-70). The heaps
usually have a diameter of 1.5-4 m, are 10-30
cm high and consist of stones, primarily lime-
Fig. 1. Localities mentioned in the text. 1 Kiidema,
2 Komsi, 3 Ilmandu, 4 Proosa, 5 Saha-Loo, 6 Re-
bala, 7 Jalase, 8 Tougu, 9 Kutsala. □ Die im Text
genannten Orte. 1 Kiidema, 2 Komsi, 3 Ilmandu, 4
Proosa, 5 Saha-Loo, 6 Rebala, 7 Jalase, 8 Tougu, 9
Kutsala.
SYSTEMS IN ESTONIA
By
Valter Lang
Estonia is rich in fossil field remains of differ-
ent kinds dating from the Late Bronze Age
up to the 18th-19th centuries. Such remains
have been registered, first of all, in the coastal
belt of northern and western Estonia. These
plain areas are of “the Loo” (or in Swedish
Alvar) type,1 where thin and light but humus
rich rendzic leptosols (Reintam 1994) are
widely distributed and represent the birth-
place of Estonian agriculture. As such thin
soils were impoverished by primitive culti-
vation techniques quite quickly, the fields
were soon left and later used as pasture land,
or they became covered with woods. Due to
very thin (10-20 cm) soils, which are not suit-
able for modern tillage, the ancient systems
sometimes survived even the extensive culti-
vation of the kolkhoz time in the 1950s-1980s.
In the inland areas of thicker luvisols and pod-
zols, the earlier fields have been often covered
(destroyed) by later ones and the study of
prehistoric field systems is therefore more
complicated.
Preserved remains of Estonian fossil fields
can be divided into six (or even seven) types:
(1) clearance cairn fields, (2) medieval forest
fields, (3) Baltic fields, (4) Celtic fields, (5)
block-shaped fields and (6) strip fields. In a
few places also some elements of (7) a system
consisting of long stone fences and cattle
paths have been observed. In the present pa-
per each of these types will be characterized
in greater detail.
1. Clearance cairn fields
Clearance cairn fields were amongst the first
types of prehistoric field remains discovered
and investigated by the archaeologists in Es-
tonia. In 1969 excavations (directed by Velio
Lougas) started at Komsi, West Estonia
(Fig. 1.2); later work in the field in the form
of rescue excavations was continued here by
Mati Mandel. Altogether 380 small, round,
totally turf covered clearance cairns were lo-
cated, scattered without any order, in the area
of 1 sq.km, and 78 of them have been exca-
vated (Lougas and Selirand 1989, 118; Eesti
talurahva ajalugu 1992, 69-70). The heaps
usually have a diameter of 1.5-4 m, are 10-30
cm high and consist of stones, primarily lime-
Fig. 1. Localities mentioned in the text. 1 Kiidema,
2 Komsi, 3 Ilmandu, 4 Proosa, 5 Saha-Loo, 6 Re-
bala, 7 Jalase, 8 Tougu, 9 Kutsala. □ Die im Text
genannten Orte. 1 Kiidema, 2 Komsi, 3 Ilmandu, 4
Proosa, 5 Saha-Loo, 6 Rebala, 7 Jalase, 8 Tougu, 9
Kutsala.