kaivauksilla

Kaivauksilla is a Finnish expression meaning “at the excavations” or “on the dig sites.” It is formed from the noun kaivaus (dig, excavation) with the adessive plural ending -illa, indicating location. The word is commonly used in contexts related to archaeology, paleontology, and geology to refer to ongoing digging work or the places where such work takes place.

In practice, kaivauksilla serves to indicate where activities are happening. It can appear in field notes, news reports, or captions describing discoveries or work in progress. For example, a sentence may read that archaeologists are kaivauksilla at a site, or that new finds were uncovered kaivauksilla. The form is specifically plural and locative, so it points to multiple dig sites or to the general activity taking place at excavation locations.

Context and usage in Finland: archaeological excavations are governed by national heritage protections. Excavation activities, especially at protected sites, typically require permits and coordination with cultural heritage authorities. Finds are documented and studied, often with dating and stratigraphic analysis, and may become part of museum collections. The term kaivauksilla is thus a neutral locational reference rather than a description of the findings themselves.

Related terms include kaivaus (excavation) and kaivaja (digger/digger worker). The expression is primarily used in Finnish-language contexts to describe the site of digging activities.