Ancient Scandinavia

From a posting by Boreas in AR:

"In 2002 the National Archaeologists of Sweden concluded their excavation of a complete city, measuring 1,8 x 1,0 km, excavated outside Hernosand in the very north of Sweden, by the Botnic Bay. The city was established 4.800 years BP, - doing regular trade with Finland and Carelia - as well as Russia, Poland, Germany and Denmark. Though; the reason for this establishment was the unique location by the big inland river-system, allowing for a safe and steady water-way passage, crossing the lowest point on the Scandinavian Mountain-ridge. This "short-cut" connecting the whole Baltic Ocean directly to the area of Trondelag, being the central area for the trade-culture that populated the shores of the North Atlantic, from Neolithic times - right into the Middle-ages.
The old culture ("Kven-culture") and river-trade of the Northern hemisphere recessed permanently around the 1350s as a climatic catastrophe ("small ice-time") - helped by diseases - extinguished about 3/4 of the Fenno-Scandinavian population. The later restored trading-culture of the north ("Birkarla-culture") obviously chose a lower location when their trading with the west-coast Scandinavia was re-established.

Not before the discovery of the 4.800 year old city - of trade and industrial production - at "Bjastamon" outside Hernosand, did ANYONE have a clue that there were cities existing in the Baltics - 1.300 years BEFORE Rome and Athens (!?!). There was even solid evidences of a large-scale, commercial home-production - as well as numberless items proving trade with distant countries...

This "incredible" discovery is only ONE of many that today is shedding a completely new light on the history of the Baltics. Especially if we are able to understand the impact of the discovery that Fenno-Scandia -that today is seen only as a penninsula - used to be an island - in the Atlantic Ocean - at the size of todays Greenland."

"All I can get from the Swedish State Archaeologist - SO FAR - is only in Swedish. The only good presentation have been made by Swedish TV1, the national broadcast, that presented the site and its documentation over a 30 min. long program, in the late autum 2002.
The last question of the program was directed to the Right Honorable Mr. Evert Boudou, Senior Professor of Scandinavian Archaology at the University of Umea - asking; "What was the biggest surprise of all these findings?"
Boudou answered; "The incredibly well planned and highly organised functions of the city (at large). There is simply no way that this city could have been built so highly specialized and effectively structured - without a VERY THOROUGH and COMPLETE CITY-PLANNING, PRIOR to the building-process". That started more than 4.800 years ago. (Boreas/My translation and comment)."