Luistari

Luistari is an archaeological site in Eura, Finland, about two kilometres south of Euran kirkko, on the west side of kantatie 43. It includes a Bronze Age and Early Iron Age settlement and Finland’s largest Late Iron Age cemetery. The site is also known as the “Luistari archaeological site.”

The cemetery was discovered in 1969 during drainage work, when a silver-coated sword dated to the 900s was found. Further rescue excavations and archaeological research under Pirkko-Liisa-Hilander exposed more burials, with investigations continuing from 1969–1992. Over 1300 Late Iron Age inhumation graves have been studied, along with cremation graves in cairns. The cemetery was used from about 500–1300.

Burials included adults, children and some group graves. Finds included jewellery, weapons, pottery, animal bones and tools such as axes, sickles and shears, although many graves were empty of objects. Later burials were often without grave goods, and in some places graves lie in as many as four layers. Animal bones were also found, and one animal grave, number 997, may be a reused Merovingian grave. Finds from the cemetery have provided important evidence about Viking Age culture and dress, including a reconstruction of an Eura woman’s clothing based on grave 56.

Luistari now has an information board and a summer exhibition. The area is also used for grazing sheep. Finds are displayed at the Suomen kansallismuseo and at the Eura prehistoric heritage centre Nauravassa Lohikäärmeessä. Pirkko-Liisa-Hilander also designed the Kalevala Koru Luistari jewellery series from the grave finds.

Luistari is a megalithic mound (tumulus with integral stones) in Eura, Finland. Wikidata describes it as: iron age grave field in Finland. A typological estimate: 2000 BCE to 500 BCE. No English Wikipedia article exists for it; the full text below is the Finnish article "Luistari", shown in the original language.