Birds of Trade: Availability of Water Birds and Bird Products During Medieval and Early Modern Period in the Baltic Sea

Bird bones are generally scarce in zooarchaeological assemblages in the medieval and early modern period from Finland and Sweden. To obtain new information on bird products and the role of water birds in the Baltic Sea during this period, zooarchaeological assemblages and historical documents were studied from these two countries. The aim is to identify chronological and regional differences and similarities in the materials and understand if there is different evidence of historic utilization of water birds in the Baltic Sea area than zooarchaeological evidence suggests. The materials show that ducks were found in most environments compared to other species found mainly in coastal regions. High frequencies of water birds were identified in the central part of the Baltic Sea, on the Åland Islands. Relatively large frequencies were also identified in nearby Stockholm and Lake Mälaren area. Historical documents from the early 17th century suggest that trade in water birds, specifically common eiders, long-tailed ducks, velvet scoters, and mergansers, was conducted from the archipelago area around Stockholm and from the Åland Islands. The zooarchaeological assemblages suggest that this trade had been ongoing for centuries before it was documented in the administrative records.