DOI article:
Lang, Valter: Prehistoric and medieval field systems in Estonia
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49004#0086
74
VALTER LANG
Table 1. Radiocarbon dates of the field fences of Saha-Loo (1-8) and of other localities. Calibration by
the Copenhagen Radiocarbon Laboratory after Stuiver and Pearson 1993. □ Radiokarbon - Datierungen
der Walle von Saho-Loo und Datierungen von anderen Stellen.
Lab.No.
Sample
Fence
conv. C14 years
BP
Calibr. in
cal. years
Calibr.
± 1 stand.dev.
Ua-3363
1
Cairn p-85
2390±50
410 BC
510-400 BBC
Tln-1717
2
Baulk 186
2530±40
770 BC
790-550 BC
Ua-3364
3
Cairn p-86
1090±65
980 AD
890-1015 AD
Tin-1722
4
Cairn p-87
2410±50
410 BC
750-400 BC
Ua-3365
5
Cairn p-89
2540±65
770 BC
800-540 BC
St-13585
6
Baulk 179
2440±65
510-430 BC
760-400 BC
St 13583
7
Baulk 118
cattle path
2020±55
1 AD
50 BC-60AD
St-13584
8
Baulk 12
2780±50
910 BC
990-840 BC
Tin 1880
Ilmandu
245±127
1660 AD
1485-1955 AD
Tin 1753
Jalase
525±37
1415 AD
1405-1435 AD
Ua 3362
Jalase
395±60
1475 AD
1440-1630 AD
UB 2084
455±95
1440 AD
1410-1615 AD
St 13879
Proosa
2400±60
410 BC
750-400 BC
TL 1851
Tougu
1140±97
did not belong to the particular system of the
Baltic fields. It seems as though the local cat-
tle paths formed a part of a new land-use sys-
tem here (no. 7), established in the centuries
around the birth of Christ and having some
similarities with those on Gotland during the
Roman Iron Age (Carlsson 1979, Fig. 75, 81,
106 etc.). Date no. 3 is obviously too young
and does not match other results from Saha-
Loo.
The Baltic fields representing a kind of
“pre-Celtic” (but sometimes also “post-Cel-
tic”) layer in the history of agricultural land-
use got their name from their occurrence on
both sides of the Baltic sea (Lang 1994d). The
fields similar to those at Saha-Loo and dated
probably from the Late Bronze Age are regis-
tered e.g. on Gotland (Johansson 1993), but
they have been reported from other areas of
Sweden too (Gren 1991, 27-29). In Denmark,
Viggo Nielsen (1984) has also described two
different systems of “Celtic” fields, one with
fairly regular lay-out and another having very
irregular field shapes and boundaries not
completely surrounding the field plots, in the
way typical of our Baltic fields. The first type
was radiocarbon dated to the Pre-Roman
Iron Age, while the fields of the second type
probably belonged to the Bronze Age (Niel-
sen 1984, 160). The “pre-Celtic” layers of
field making in one form or another have also
been found in other areas of Europe (Harding
1989, 177).
4. The Celtic fields
Localities with Celtic fields are known in
many parts of Estonia but only three of them
have been studied by mapping and excava-
tion. The Estonian Celtic fields are similar
with those known over North-West Europe
(see e.g. Muller-Wille 1965; Brongers 1976;
Carlsson 1979), having two main peculiari-
ties: the parcels are usually very small and the
baulks may sometimes consist only of stones
VALTER LANG
Table 1. Radiocarbon dates of the field fences of Saha-Loo (1-8) and of other localities. Calibration by
the Copenhagen Radiocarbon Laboratory after Stuiver and Pearson 1993. □ Radiokarbon - Datierungen
der Walle von Saho-Loo und Datierungen von anderen Stellen.
Lab.No.
Sample
Fence
conv. C14 years
BP
Calibr. in
cal. years
Calibr.
± 1 stand.dev.
Ua-3363
1
Cairn p-85
2390±50
410 BC
510-400 BBC
Tln-1717
2
Baulk 186
2530±40
770 BC
790-550 BC
Ua-3364
3
Cairn p-86
1090±65
980 AD
890-1015 AD
Tin-1722
4
Cairn p-87
2410±50
410 BC
750-400 BC
Ua-3365
5
Cairn p-89
2540±65
770 BC
800-540 BC
St-13585
6
Baulk 179
2440±65
510-430 BC
760-400 BC
St 13583
7
Baulk 118
cattle path
2020±55
1 AD
50 BC-60AD
St-13584
8
Baulk 12
2780±50
910 BC
990-840 BC
Tin 1880
Ilmandu
245±127
1660 AD
1485-1955 AD
Tin 1753
Jalase
525±37
1415 AD
1405-1435 AD
Ua 3362
Jalase
395±60
1475 AD
1440-1630 AD
UB 2084
455±95
1440 AD
1410-1615 AD
St 13879
Proosa
2400±60
410 BC
750-400 BC
TL 1851
Tougu
1140±97
did not belong to the particular system of the
Baltic fields. It seems as though the local cat-
tle paths formed a part of a new land-use sys-
tem here (no. 7), established in the centuries
around the birth of Christ and having some
similarities with those on Gotland during the
Roman Iron Age (Carlsson 1979, Fig. 75, 81,
106 etc.). Date no. 3 is obviously too young
and does not match other results from Saha-
Loo.
The Baltic fields representing a kind of
“pre-Celtic” (but sometimes also “post-Cel-
tic”) layer in the history of agricultural land-
use got their name from their occurrence on
both sides of the Baltic sea (Lang 1994d). The
fields similar to those at Saha-Loo and dated
probably from the Late Bronze Age are regis-
tered e.g. on Gotland (Johansson 1993), but
they have been reported from other areas of
Sweden too (Gren 1991, 27-29). In Denmark,
Viggo Nielsen (1984) has also described two
different systems of “Celtic” fields, one with
fairly regular lay-out and another having very
irregular field shapes and boundaries not
completely surrounding the field plots, in the
way typical of our Baltic fields. The first type
was radiocarbon dated to the Pre-Roman
Iron Age, while the fields of the second type
probably belonged to the Bronze Age (Niel-
sen 1984, 160). The “pre-Celtic” layers of
field making in one form or another have also
been found in other areas of Europe (Harding
1989, 177).
4. The Celtic fields
Localities with Celtic fields are known in
many parts of Estonia but only three of them
have been studied by mapping and excava-
tion. The Estonian Celtic fields are similar
with those known over North-West Europe
(see e.g. Muller-Wille 1965; Brongers 1976;
Carlsson 1979), having two main peculiari-
ties: the parcels are usually very small and the
baulks may sometimes consist only of stones