Neolithic land use in the northern Boreal zone: high-resolution multiproxy analyses from Lake Huhdasj\xe4rvi, south-eastern Finland

Teija Alenius,Elisabeth Holmqvist,Antti Ojala,Teemu Mökkönen

doi:10.1007/s00334-017-0606-2

Abstract

Two high-resolution pollen and charcoal analyses were constructed from sediments obtained from a small bay in eastern Finland in order to gain information on human activity during the Neolithic Stone Age, 5200–1800 bc. We used measurements of loss on ignition (LOI), magnetic susceptibility and geochemical analyses to describe the sedimentological characteristics. Palaeomagnetic dating and measurements of 137Cs-activity were supported by 14C-datings. The analyses revealed human activity between 4400 and 3200 bc, which is synchronous with archaeological cultures defined through different stages of Comb Ware pottery types and Middle Neolithic pottery types with asbestos as a primary temper. Direct evidence of Hordeum cultivation was dated to 4040–3930 cal bc. According to the pollen data, more significant effort was put into the production of fibres from hemp and lime than the actual cultivation of food.

Highlights

In eastern Fennoscandia (Finland and the Republic of Karelia, Russia), the Neolithic period begins with the appearance of pottery ca. 5300–5200 bc (Pesonen et al 2012; Nordqvist and Mökkönen 2016)
According to the traditional interpretation, in eastern Fennoscandia and in the Baltic States, the beginning of the Neolithic period was not associated with agriculture
loss on ignition (LOI) and magnetic susceptibility indicated that cores FID 60 A and FID 60 C and their overlapping sequences contained similar sedimentary data and provided a solid basis for their correlation (Fig. 2)

Summary

Introduction

In eastern Fennoscandia (Finland and the Republic of Karelia, Russia), the Neolithic period begins with the appearance of pottery ca. 5300–5200 bc (Pesonen et al 2012; Nordqvist and Mökkönen 2016). In eastern Fennoscandia (Finland and the Republic of Karelia, Russia), the Neolithic period begins with the appearance of pottery ca. According to the traditional interpretation, in eastern Fennoscandia and in the Baltic States, the beginning of the Neolithic period was not associated with agriculture. There is increasing evidence that the initial stage of cereal cultivation in northern Europe took place at the very beginning of the Neolithic Stone Age, ca. On the basis of circumstantial evidence, it has been proposed that eastern pottery technology and early cultivation spread concurrently into the north-eastern part of the Baltic Sea through the same networks (Mökkönen 2010, 2011), but until recently, no data were available to demonstrate the connection in Finland

Results

Discussion

Conclusion