The area of Tartu Central Park was built up until World War II and was located adjacent to medieval Tartu. According to Andres Tvauri, associate professor of archaeology at the University of Tartu, future research will reveal exactly what was situated in the park area.

"Right behind us here is a medieval moat. Beyond it is the city wall and the medieval city. On the other side, there was also an ancient settlement. Across the way is the Emajõgi River. We still do not know exactly what might have been located here. It is likely that various waste from the city center ended up in this area, and such waste is often of great interest to archaeologists because it offers insights into how people actually lived," explained Tvauri.

To facilitate the construction of the cultural center, preliminary archaeological surveys have commenced, involving the excavation of four test pits. Initial digs have already yielded several findings, including a particularly unique bone ear scoop, historically used for cleaning ears.

"Here, we have a small selection from the deeper medieval layers, such as pottery shards. Among these is the ear scoop I mentioned earlier. Here, for example, is a fragment of a stoneware jug from the Siegburg pottery center. These stoneware fragments generally date back to the 14th-15th centuries, while the simpler ceramic shards extend into the early modern period," said Rivo Bernotas, head of the archaeological survey.

According to Tvauri, Tartu's city center can be considered an archaeologically valuable area due to the well-preserved organic material found in the moist soil.

"There are springs, and the Emajõgi River is nearby, all of which create conditions for preserving materials such as wooden and leather items that normally do not survive. There is even the possibility of finding something from ancient times here," Tvauri noted.

Bernotas added that the results of the work done so far confirm that the Central Park area contains archaeologically significant layers.

"In the first trench, we identified layers ranging from the Swedish era back to the early medieval period. There are archaeologically interesting layers here, but how this situation unfolds in all corners of the site will become clearer once the main soil layers are stripped away. However, from the one and a half test pits we have completed so far, it is evident that layers requiring further research are definitely present," Bernotas concluded.

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