Liisa SEPPÄNEN
(University of Turku, Turku, Finland)

Keywords: Horse, giant snake, grave, circus, Lahti

Abstract:
In 2013, a surprising burial was unearthed in the city of Lahti in Finland in the connection with large excavations carried out on the market square. The burial contained the remains of two animals, a horse and a giant snake, together with an assemblage of artefacts, which date the burial to the beginning of the 20th century. At this time, giant snakes were not kept as pets and consequently, the possible explanation for the existence of the snake can be found at the circus, which visited the town around that time.
The burial with its contents is a unique find in the Finnish archaeology and its mystery has attracted a lot of attention, especially among the public beyond academic circles. In this paper, I am tracing the story behind the burial with the help of historical and archaeological sources. Even tough, the questions related to the composition of the burial (when and why it was made) are central in this study the more important question is why this recent burial is significant in archaeological discourse. This individual burial with its intriguing contents can be used as a concrete example in the discussion about culture historical values, archaeological research and the importance of the context. Furthermore, the possible ways of telling the stories about this burial to wider audience are reflected.