Women's graves became richer and richer during the Viking Age, not only in jewellery but also in tools and other furnishings. There are, as we have seen, no princely graves in Finland, but many weapon-graves contain fine swords. There is further evidence for a concentration of power. When the Swedes consolidated their rule over Finland in the thirteenth century, an ancient system of taxation of Finnish, not Scandinavian, origin already existed. As we know from modem society, taxes will not be paid unless there is a strong central power to collect them.
Archaeology suggests the latter.