My own research material is connected to the Bronze and Early Metal Age. The material is constantly increasing, significantly affecting our conceptions of the past. I have conducted field work at Bronze and Early Metal Age sites in Finland, Russia and the Baltic countries and have studied artefacts using a variety of methods. The approaches can be both science- and humanities-based, and the knowledge acquired with their help is used as the starting point for understanding human communities.

My best memories from the university of Helsinki are linked to various situations. Learning has involved not only the acquisition of new knowledge but also what research has brought to me personally. While conducting field work I have met a diverse range of people and unexpected things have occurred. An archaeologist’s specialty is long periods of field work in different corners of the globe. The most interesting moments have involved investigating surprising environments and places and the observations and finds that have arisen as a result. For me this has been in different parts of Finland, with Finno-Ugrian peoples and in the Middle East in a multidisciplinary Centre of Excellence project led by Jaakko Frösén in Jordan. They have enriched my world and helped me see how life is lived differently elsewhere.

I became acquainted with administration when our previous professor of archaeology retired and the Institute for Cultural Research needed a new director. I had practically no choice but to take on this responsibility. I had no experience of the work, but that soon changed. I received help from others and by pondering things together we made progress.

My own discipline, archaeology, has been in the media spotlight in various ways, and it clearly interests the general public. In practice, every archaeological dig is reported in one way or another. Archaeologists themselves have influenced reporting by describing the methods and findings of digs. In additions, journalists may have their own ideas which they want to use.

I come from a small northern town where the opportunities for gaining knowledge and broadening one’s worldview were less than optimal. Thus, Helsinki, with its innumerable possibilities, offered an entirely different environment for thinking. When I came to the University in 1981, the degree system had just been overhauled. Although it was soon recognised that it was not such a great success, for me it was essential that no one prevented me from studying different subjects in different faculties. Conducting research elsewhere in Finland or abroad was also a clear aim. Radical thinking was possible and no one interfered – after all it is a natural part of science.