Making reconstructed Iron Age costumes
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Practitioners and people who know the tradition well
In the making of reconstructed Iron Age costumes, costumes and textiles are reconstructed based on burial finds from Finland’s later Iron Age from around the years 1000–1200.
A Finnish woman’s reconstructed Iron Age costume usually includes a linen undergarment, a woollen dress, a woollen peplos-type overskirt, an apron and a cloak. The finest aprons and cloaks are decorated with brass and bronze spiral ornaments. The costumes also include skilfully woven tablet-woven bands and finger woven braids used as decorations and belts. The costumes also include headdresses and spiral-decorated temple ornaments.
It is difficult to estimate the number of owners of reconstructed Iron Age costumes, because their use ranges from festive dress to everyday clothing, and there are no consistent statistics on the subject covering one hundred years. When the centenary book of the Perniö costume was being prepared in 2025, about 50 women wearing the Perniö reconstructed Iron Age costume gathered in the churchyard of Yliskylä Church. Muinaisaikayhdistys Birckalaiset ry has about 200 members, and the Facebook group on reconstructed Iron Age costumes has about 3,500 members. In the activities of Kalevala Women’s Association, reconstructed Iron Age costumes are strongly present. These dresses are also widely in use in several living history groups.
The popularity of reconstructed Iron Age costumes is lower than that of national costumes. One reason is the small number of makers of ready-made costumes and the price of the jewellery, which may raise the cost of a costume from a few hundred to several thousand euros.
Today, reconstructed Iron Age costumes are made both independently at home and in different kinds of groups. They are made in hobby associations, adult education centers, folk high schools and adult education centres. Every year, hundreds of people take part in different courses, although some participants may be the same people. Making a costume requires skills from many different fields.
Demanding techniques needed for making reconstructed Iron Age costumes are taught, for example, in the ancient technique studies of the Raisio Regional Education and Training Consortium. Courses on reconstructed Iron Age costumes have been organised at Wellamo Community College in Lahti and at the adult education centers of Turku and Helsinki, where participants have learned the necessary techniques or made an entire costume starting from weaving the fabric. The making of reconstructed Iron Age costumes is also popular among enthusiasts of the Finnish Iron Age and historical re-enactors. Information is shared through books, social media, scholarly articles and lectures, on the enthusiasts’ own publishing platforms and in the traditional way, that is, from hand to hand in different workshops.
Most users and makers of reconstructed Iron Age costumes are women, but men also make costumes and carry out costume research. Research on costumes carried out by enthusiasts, often using methods of experimental archaeology, promotes the spread of the tradition and increases awareness of it.
International cooperation is also carried out. Together with Estonian researchers, for example, prehistoric dyeing methods and the making of metal-thread ornaments have been studied. The costumes of Finland and Estonia share many common features.
Practising of the tradition
Today, the aim is to make the costumes by using period-appropriate methods and imitating the original as closely as possible. Some enthusiasts aim to recreate a reconstructed costume in all its details as accurately as possible. For many enthusiasts, independent information gathering and the study of known material are an important part of making the costume.
If a costume is made entirely by hand from the beginning, the maker must master several different craft techniques: spinning, plant dyeing, weaving, hand sewing, making metal-thread ornaments, nalbinding, tablet weaving and finger weaving. The garments are mostly woven to shape, such as leg wraps, the cloak and the peplos-type overskirt. Their edges are woven with tubular selvedges, and the ends of the fabrics are finished with tablet-woven bands. Ancient techniques can be imitated even when the work is carried out with modern tools, for example on horizontal looms instead of upright looms. Patterns for sewn garments, such as undergarments and woollen dresses, have not survived, so basic pattern models have been chosen that are easy to adapt to one’s own measurements. Instructions are now available in books, on courses and at gatherings of enthusiasts.
It is not necessary to make the costume entirely from the beginning. Many people weave the costume fabric from industrially spun yarn or sew parts of the costume from ready-made fabrics. The most important thing in making a reconstructed Iron Age costume or a re-enactment costume is to follow and respect the style and overall character of the period in question. Finnish dress culture one thousand years ago was distinctive, and this is expressed through the making of reconstructed Iron Age costumes. Dress in the area that is now known as Finland differed, for example, from Viking Age dress in Sweden. One distinguishing example is the way garments were decorated with brass and bronze spiral ornaments. Such ornaments were found on both aprons and cloaks.
Some people wear reconstructed Iron Age costumes as festive dress, including at the most important national celebrations, such as the Independence Day reception. On the other hand, people row a Viking Age boat, race on prehistoric skis and cook in camp while wearing reconstructed Iron Age clothing. The costumes adapt according to the wearer and their needs. Both adults and children can be seen wearing reconstructed Iron Age costumes. Based on the find material, it appears that children were dressed in the same way as adults, including bronze spiral-decorated aprons and small cloaks.
Not as much textile material has survived from men’s graves as from women’s graves, and men’s reconstructed Iron Age costumes are not as well-known as women’s. For Finnish men, however, a distinctive ancient fashion has taken shape thanks to skilled makers and numerous users. A man’s costume includes woollen trousers, a knee-length woollen tunic, leg wraps and a cloak or a woollen coat that may be decorated, for example, with valuable silk and tablet-woven bands.
The background and history of the tradition
The first textile finds in Finland were made in the late nineteenth century in Savo, Karelia and Southwest Finland. At first, sketches of ancient Finnish dress were drawings. The first costume reconstructions of a man, a wife and a child were made in the 1890s for the celebrations of the Viipuri Student Nation, inspired by the national romanticism and Finnish national movement of the time.
The first instructions for a woman’s costume known as the Aino costume were published in 1900. In 1925, the Perniö reconstructed Iron Age costume was completed for a Nordic archaeological conference. The costume was displayed in the permanent exhibition of the National Museum of Finland for nearly one hundred years.
The costumes also began to be made as festive dress. Many people wanted to make the costume themselves, and because instructions were lacking, different versions emerged. Revised making instructions were published in 2000.
In 1937, the Tuukkala reconstructed Iron Age costume was made for Elsa Heporauta, the founder of Kalevala Women’s Association. The costume was made by Helmi Vuorelma Oy, which also sold instructions and materials for making the costume. The costume became a very popular festive dress, as did the Ancient Karelia costume introduced in 1952.
The costume of the Mistress of Eura, published in 1982, was the first scientifically researched reconstructed Iron Age costume. The archaeologist Pirkko-Liisa Lehtosalo-Hilander studied the material, and a committee for reconstructed Iron Age costumes was established in Eura to make the costume. Its best-known wearer is President Tarja Halonen.
The Masku costume, made for the Kalevala anniversary exhibition in 1985, was based on the finds from grave 32 at Humikkala in Masku. It was researched and made by Leena Tomanterä, conservator at the National Museum of Finland, and Riitta Lavonius from Heinola. The Kaarina costume from 1990 was based on the research of the archaeologist Jaana Riikonen on grave 1 at Kirkkomäki in Kaarina, and it too was made in Heinola.
At Kuralan Kylämäki, a project was started in 1990 in which the Kaarina reconstructed Iron Age costume was made using ancient methods. The work took nearly ten years. The makers studied ancient craft methods ranging from spindle spinning to plant dyeing.
In 1994, a new interpretation of the finds from grave 26 in the Tuukkala cemetery in Mikkeli was presented to the public. This colourful costume version was named the Mikkeli region reconstructed Iron Age costume.
The first costumes were loosely based on burial finds, but according to current knowledge they do not fully correspond to Iron Age dress. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, scientific research on reconstructed Iron Age costumes progressed thanks to new research methods. Whereas researchers in the nineteenth century did not recognise, for example, tablet-woven bands in the find material, today even a small textile fragment can be used to determine not only the weave and density of a fabric but also the dyes used and to draw conclusions about dyeing methods. Researchers can even determine where the sheep whose wool was used for the costume had grazed.
In addition to new finds, such as those from Ravattula Ristimäki, old finds are being re-examined using methods of microarchaeology. Researchers work together with craftspeople who know the field well. The expertise of both is needed when a costume is created, for example, based on textile remains found inside a shoulder brooch.
In the 2020s, several new reconstructions have been made: costume parts from Ristinpelto in Lieto, the Ravattula costume, the Hollola Kirkkailanmäki costume, and the reconstructed Iron Age costumes of the Tampere region for both a woman and a man. The Kirkkailanmäki and Tampere region costumes were commissioned by museums. New research is carried out continuously.
Alongside researchers, enthusiasts and craftspeople have also done important work. Heinolan Kalevalaiset Naiset ry was founded in 1980 to support interest in reconstructed Iron Age costumes. The association gave lectures, experimented with ancient working methods, made instructions and shared them further. All reconstructed Iron Age costumes known up to that time were made through the efforts of enthusiasts.
Today, the tradition of reconstructed Iron Age costumes remains strong in Mikkelin Kalevalaiset. In addition to making the costumes, the members of the association give guided tours at an ancient monument area while wearing reconstructed Iron Age costumes and organise events related to reconstructed Iron Age costumes. Local association of Rural Women's Advisory Organization in Perniö published a new book in 2025 about its one-hundred-year-old costume.
In the twenty-first century, historical re-enactors also became interested in making reconstructed Iron Age costumes. This meant a very large number of new makers and users of the costumes.
With this new group of users, the valuable festive costume also became a practical garment, as everyday versions of ancient clothing began to be made in addition to festive costumes. These are used in re-enactment events, and through them practical experience-based information is gained about clothing one thousand years ago.
The transmission of the tradition
The tradition is safeguarded through active practice, that is, by making and wearing the costumes, continuing research and sharing information. The craft skills related to making reconstructed Iron Age costumes can now be learned from books, videos, as part of other education and in different kinds of courses. Reconstructed Iron Age costumes and their individual parts are made in course form at adult education centers and folk high schools. Enthusiast communities organise gatherings related to the subject and their own courses.
An important way of transmitting the tradition is oral knowledge, such as different demonstrations and lectures. Many small groups gather together to learn the necessary skills collectively by following the example of skilled practitioners. Many people with expertise in making reconstructed Iron Age costumes consider it a matter of honour to pass on their knowledge and skills to the next generations.
Thanks to social media, books and videos, information about Finnish reconstructed Iron Age costumes has spread around the world. One may encounter Finnish versions of reconstructed Iron Age costumes at gatherings of local historical re-enactors in North America. There, enthusiasts have studied past working methods with Finnish experts and in turn share their expertise on the new continent. Many have ordered materials and literature from Finland and have even learned Finnish in order to read books in a foreign language.
A threat to the tradition is the lack of funding. For example, it would be important to secure funding for the production of publications, for example through project funding or grants. At present, information and research literature and costume research are produced to a very great extent with the makers’ own resources.
Documentation of the tradition
The archaeological collections of the Finnish Heritage Agency preserve textile remains from Finland’s Iron Age. These have been documented extensively from different find areas. Most come from Southwest Finland, where settlement seems to have been most concentrated around one thousand years ago, but textiles have been found in the ground all the way up to Keminmaa. The tradition has also been documented in museum collections. In Eura, the prehistoric educational centre Naurava lohikäärme presents original finds, textile reconstructions and period working methods in its exhibitions.
The collections of the National Museum of Finland include reconstructions of the Eura and Perniö reconstructed Iron Age costumes. Reconstructed Iron Age costumes have also been documented in the collections of the Craft Museum of Finland. Complete reconstructed Iron Age costume ensembles have been made for the collections of the Historical Museum in Lahti and Vapriikki in Tampere. At the Satakunta Museum in Pori, the Eura reconstructed Iron Age costume and a version of a man’s costume are on display. In Pirkkala, the exhibition building Birckala has a permanent exhibition called Tursiannotko, which also includes re-enactment costumes. In Heinola, the collection of Kalevala Women’s Association includes several reconstructed Iron Age costume reconstructions.
The tradition is also documented by producing literature and guidebooks about it. Today, an important way of documenting the tradition is through social media and blogs. There are considerably more reconstructed Iron Age costume finds than there are costumes made based on them, which means that by continuing to research the find material it is possible to gain more information about the costumes and how they were made.
Sustainable development
In reconstructed Iron Age costumes, emphasis is placed on making by hand, the ecological nature of materials and the long service life of the costume. Costumes that are almost one hundred years old are still in use, and the same costume may pass through several generations within a family. If a person does not own a costume, one can be borrowed, for example, from Kalevala Women’s Association. Historical re-enactors also recycle their costumes. Worn materials can be turned into new garments. Even the bronze parts and jewellery of the costumes can be reused as materials, just as they were one thousand years ago.
The materials used in the costumes are natural materials, such as wool and flax. The production of yarns for reconstructed Iron Age costumes supports Finnish sheep farming and the preservation of native breeds. Finnish spinning mills such as Pirtin Kehräämö and Saimas Spinnery produce yarns suitable for reconstructed Iron Age costumes. Elonvilla Oy, founded in connection with the Ravattula costume project, commissions spinning of yarns that use the wool of the Finnish sheep and the endangered Åland sheep. This wool resembles the wool of Iron Age sheep.
Many people dye the yarns needed for the fabrics with plant dyes. Dye plants are grown in gardens or gathered from nature. The same methods can be used in dyeing as were used one thousand years ago. Wool yarns can be dyed entirely without artificial substances, although many turn to them because of lack of time. On the other hand, some people making costumes test methods in which all the materials used, including mordants, can be gathered from nature.
The making of a reconstructed Iron Age costume produces little if any textile waste. Most of the costume fabrics are woven to shape. For sewn garments, such as dresses and undergarments, patterns are used that are based on straight front and back pieces and triangular side gores. This reduces fabric consumption and cutting waste. What is now known as zero-waste thinking was everyday reality one thousand years ago.
In addition to textiles, the costume includes jewellery that varies according to the costume. The jewellery may include a few small brooches or a large chain arrangement with shoulder brooches. Making the jewellery provides work for Finnish jewellery makers and craftspeople. Fabrics, costume parts, tablet-woven bands and footwear included in the costumes are also commissioned from Finnish craftspeople. In this way, one costume provides work for several Finnish small entrepreneurs.
The future of the tradition
The future of making reconstructed Iron Age costumes looks bright. The number of people with expertise is currently increasing, as is the number of people interested in the subject. Hobby circles and associations have emerged in Finland in which the costumes and their traditional methods of making are valued. Books, scholarly articles, doctoral dissertations and other publications are produced on the topic. Information is now widely available, and the field can be studied in vocational education.
Even burial finds examined decades ago are being studied again. Thanks to modern research methods, new information about dress in the past can be obtained even from small textile finds. Researchers’ own expertise has grown, and in cooperation with skilled craftspeople it has been possible to produce new costume parts or complete costume ensembles and to identify the methods of manufacture used in the original costumes.
Museums have commissioned new costume interpretations for their collections, which increases awareness of reconstructed Iron Age costumes also among the wider public. Events related to reconstructed Iron Age costumes are very popular among people of all ages.
Many people acquire a reconstructed Iron Age costume already made, for example as an inheritance. Families pass on reconstructed Iron Age costumes that were made nearly one hundred years ago. Through this, many young people have become interested in the subject more broadly. Old costumes are still worn, maintained and repaired. Often, people who own a reconstructed Iron Age costume or who make one feel that through the costume they have a connection to the past, all the way to prehistory. Learning techniques that were forgotten over time and later rediscovered is inspiring and meaningful. Making the costume or its parts takes a long time. When the work is complete and the finished garment is worn for the first time, joy and pride can be seen in the wearer.
In addition to the costumes themselves, the public is more broadly interested in information about how people lived during the prehistoric period in the area now called Finland. People are interested in the origins of valuable materials, such as how the glass beads used in the costumes’ jewellery reached this area along ancient trade routes. This gives the opportunity to learn about who we were one thousand years ago, with whom we were in contact, and what we learned from others. People also find it inspiring to see what treasures from the past researchers and craftspeople have brought before present-day audiences through cooperation.
Many people want to make their own costume themselves, either the so-called official version or their own interpretation. Especially among historical re-enactors, making one’s own reconstructed Iron Age costume or so-called re-enactment costume is popular. The techniques are the same as in the examples made up to one thousand years ago, but now the costumes are made from the makers’ own starting points. In the versions made by costume enthusiasts, local features are beginning to appear, just as they did in the Iron Age. People do not all dress in the same strictly standardised costume but express themselves and their preferences through their choices. Especially the more recent reconstructed Iron Age costumes can be adapted and renewed as research brings new information on the subject.
Those interested in making reconstructed Iron Age costumes have their own pages and groups on social media. On the pages of individual makers, groups and associations, information, advice and inspiration are shared. This brings people together and gives them a sense of belonging.
For some users, ancient garments are festive dress; for others they are practical clothing as part of a hobby. The tradition of making reconstructed Iron Age costumes ensures that the culture of earlier times continues to live as a strong and valued part of present-day Finland.
The community/communities behind this submission
Heinolan Kalevalaiset Naiset ry
Muinaisaikayhdistys Birckalaiset ry
Historianelävöitysyhdistys Iloinen Joutsen - a medieval re-enactment association that also engages in prehistoric re-enactment.
Raisio Regional Education and Training Consortium Raseko. Vocational Qualification in Crafts and Design – competence area in ancient techniques.
Perniön Maa- ja kotitalousnaiset ry
Bibliography and links to external sources of information
Literature
Theodor Schvindt: Tietoja Karjalan rautakaudesta. 1892.
Hjalmar Appelgren-Kivalo: Suomalaisia pukuja myöhemmältä rautakaudelta. 1907.
Pirkko-Liisa Lehtosalo-Hilander: Euran muinaispuku ja muut muinaisvaatteet. Euran muinaispukutoimikunta, 2001.
Helena Luoma (toim.): Sinihameet kultavyöt: suomalaisia muinaispukuja. Pirkanmaan käsi- ja taideteollisuus, 2003.
Mervi Pasanen ja Jenni Sahramaa: Löydöstä muinaispuvuksi. Salakirjat, 2021.
Jaana Riikonen ja Juha Ruokonen (toim.): Ravattulan muinaispuku, Tutkimukset ja valmistusohjeet. Suomen muinaistutkimuksen tuki ry, 2023.
Perniön muinaispukukirjatyöryhmä: Perniön muinaispuku. Perniön Maa- ja Kotitalousnaiset, 2025.
Ulla Nordfors, Maj Meriluoto: Muinaispuvuista silkkimyssyihin - Arkeologista tekstiilitutkimusta Pirkanmaalta. Vapriikki, 2026.
Social media
Suomalainen muinaispuku - ennallistuksia ja mukaelmia. Muinaispuvuille omistetty ryhmä Facebookissa. Facebook group focused on Iron Age costumes.
Löydöstä muinaispuvuksi. A Facebook group focused on the "Löydöstä muinaispuvuksi" book on reconstructing Iron Age costumes.
Online
Colorants Detected by HPLC-PDA in Textiles from 13th Century Lieto Ristinpelto, Finland
Article by Jenni Sahramaan and Mervi Pasanen: Spiral decorated shawls in Late Iron Age Finland
Videos on dressing in the Iron Age costume by Kalevala Women's Association.
Mervi Pasasen Instagram-tili, an Instagram account with information on Iron Age costumes.
Kalmistopiiri, an archeological online publication.
Salon museon esittely Perniön muinaispuvusta.
Article by Jenni Sahramaan and Krista Wrightin: Muinaispuvut museoissa.
Krista Wrightin ja Riina Rammon tutkimus tummansinisen värin värjäämisestä.
Article by Jenni Sahramaa: Spiraalikoristeinen viitta Liedon Ristinpellon haudasta 86
Löydöstä muinaispuvuksi: arkeologisten tekstiilien ennallistaminen. Jenni Sahramaa, pro gradu, the University of Helsinki.