Archaeological investigations at the Mäla stone grave (Ussimätas), Muhu Island

The 2024–2025 archaeological investigations at the Mäla stone grave on Muhu Island assessed the extent of earlier excavations, documented the surviving grave structures, and recovered previously overlooked finds. A cultural layer was identified in several parts of the grave, and approximately 900 finds were collected, including pottery, metal objects, human and animal bones, and a substantial quantity of lithic material. The lithic assemblage includes 500 artefacts bearing traces of working; their composition and breakage patterns do not indicate a Stone Age settlement but are probably associated with burial practices at the grave. Radiocarbon dating of the birch bark tar places it within the range of 540–390 BCE with 92.2% probability, supporting a date in the fifth century BC for the grave’s earliest construction phase. The results show that the assemblage recovered during the earlier excavations represented only part of the material actually present at the grave, and that the deliberate breaking of stones at Mäla may have been a ritual activity.