Eura Garb
The Eura Garb style came about in the 'new' Finnish clothing reconstructions in the mid 1980's.
It became extremely popular with the publication in English of Ancient Finnish Costumes by Pirkko-Liisa Lehtosalo-Hilander in 1984, as well as archaeological reports by the same scholar.
Early Eura Reconstructions
Prior to the research of Lehtosalo-Hilander, there was a reconstruction from archaeological finds in the Eura parish, Osmanmaeki cemetery. This cemetery dates from the viking age, in the early 11th century and was excavated in the late 19th/ early 20th centuries.
The 19th century interpretations of the Eura finds were based on ethnology, and the contemporary folk costumes of Karelia at the time. In 1907, Appelgren-Kivalo published Finnische Trachten und der juengeren Eisenzeit and in turn the Osmanmaeki reconstruction became the standard for what late Iron-age Finnish women wore.
Modern Reconstruction
It was not until the excavation of Luistari cemetery, that the reconstructions were questioned, when the textiles from grave 56 were analysed. Grave 56 was discovered in 1969, and contained a rather tall women who had died in the early 1000's at about 45 years of age.
Analysis of the textiles showed that they were woollen fabrics, woven in tabby or twill and dyed different shades of green and blue, all by using Indigo (Isatis tinctoria). Tablet-woven bands were also found, dyed red which may have been achieved with lichen or madder. (Lehtosalo-Hilander, 1984: 48-9)
It was supposed that the entire outfit consisted of many parts, including:
- Headwear
- Jewellery, including Necklace, Brooches, Bracelets, Rings etc.
- Knife
- Shoes
- Mittens
- Belt
- Apron
- Underdress
- Overdress which was an open-sided Peplos
For a photograph of the reconstructed gown, see Euran Puku.
Other Finnish Reconstructions
Not counting the superceeded reconstructions prior to the 1980's, the other reconstructions of female garb all share the similar style of an underdress and peplos overdress. The differences lie in the style of jewellery worn, and the use of bronze spiral decoration on the clothes (especially the apron).
Sources
- Er�-Esko, Liisa et al Suomen Esihistoria (Helsinki: Museovirasto, 1998) ISBN 951-616-034-4 (Online Edition)
- Kangasvuo, Jenny [http://cc.oulu.fi/~jek/muinaispuku.html Suomalainen muinaispuku - my�h�israutakautinen vai nykyaikainen juhlapuku?]
- Pirkko-Liisa Lehtosalo-Hilander "Ancient Finnish Costumes" (Helsinki: Finnish Archaeological Society, 1984)
- Pirkko-Liisa Lehtosalo-Hilander "Euran Puku: Ja muut muinaisvaattet" (Vammala: Vammalan Kirjapaino Oy, 2001)
