Finland was covered by ice sheets until around 10,000 years ago. As the climate warmed, the ice sheets receded and the first humans began migrating to Finland in small groups between 8,000-6,500 BC during the Stone Age. These hunter-gatherer populations utilized stone tools. During the Bronze Age (1500-500 BC), new groups arrived and cultivated crops. The Iron Age (500 BC-1150 AD) saw the development of iron smelting and increased trade and organization into communities and hillforts. By the end of this period, an estimated 50,000 people inhabited Finland.

1. Finland’s prehistory
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2.  This presentation isn’t an exact historical description,
but raises issues about the birth of Finland and
Finnish culture.
 Prehistory is the period of time before written
records.
 People moved to Finland in small groups over a long
period of time. There weren't any massive migrations.
 This presentation is focused only on a few main
issues.
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Introduction

3.  Northern Europe was covered in ice about 22000 - 10000
years ago. The ice sheet thickness was around five miles.
 When the climate became warmer the ice began to melt,
plants started to grow and animals and people came to
the area.
 The first plants were Birches and Pines. The first animals
were birds, fish, elk, bears, hares, foxes, beavers, seals
and finally people and dogs.
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Ice Age

4.  The Ice Age altered Finnish nature. It moved the
rocks, modified cliffs and formed lakes.
 Little by little the land rose, land area expanded and
many lakes were born.
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Ice Age
Now you know why Finland is
called the land of a thousand
lakes!

5. 5
Modified nature
Potholes are born when
meltwater tunnels rocks into the
rock. Finns call them
“Hiidenkirnu”

6.  After The Ice Age, people first came to Finland from the east
and south, around 8000 – 6500 B.C.
 That time is called The Stone Age. During that period
people learned to make objects of stone.
 They were fishermen, hunters and gatherers.
 They came to Finland in small groups. They didn't have
permanent dwellings and they wandered after their food.
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Stone Age (8600 – 1500 B.C.)

7.  In the last part of the Stone Age (3200 B.C.) new residents moved to
Finland from the south across the sea (Baltic people.)
 They had new types of weapons that were used in battles, Hammer-
axes. Due to this they are called hammer-axe-people.
 They cultivated corn and they had domestic animals. They had also
permanent dwellings.
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Stone Age
Hi! My name is Jussi and
I moved to Finland from
the South. I like fishing.
Pike are my favourite!

8.  The current Finnish language has a few words that come from the Stone
Age: veri, jalka, sappi, kivi, emä and peni
 Emä newer word äiti
 Peni newer word koira
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Stone Age
Try to match the
words and images!
My favourite
word is emä,
guess why?

9.  Bronze casting was learned during the Bronze Age.
 More residents arrived to Finland from the south and the
west. They were Germans.
 They occupied permanent places of living. They cultivated
barley, wheat and rye. Their domesticated animals were
dogs, cows, sheep, pigs and goats.
 Gradually they created house-groups and villages. Near the
coasts they made fishing villages.
 Instead of huts their permanent dwellings were made of
peat, reed and straw.
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Bronze Age (1500 – 500 B.C.)
My father was a
blacksmith who
forged fine swords
and axes.

10. 10
Bronze Age
a scale model of a
Bronze Age house
The current Finnish language has
a few words that come from the
stone age: aura, multa, niittää,
nahka, ahjo, hauta, kansa, laiva,
miekka, neula.
people, reap, leather,
needle, forge, grave,
ship, plow, mold,
sword
Match the words
with the correct
meaning.

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Grave Mounds
About 3000 years ago
people moved to Finland
from the west. They
brought a culture that
buried their dead under
stone mounds. This
tradition was popular on
the west coast.
Thousands of these still
remain in nature.

12.  The first iron objects were imported to Finland from
southern Europe. As a result, people learned to smelt iron
from the lake ore.
 Iron was easier to forge than stone and it was stronger than
bronze.
 People had been trading since the Stone Age but trade
increased significantly during the Iron Age. Imports like
glass and gold came from Central Europe. Finns paid for
their purchases, for example, with furs.
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Iron Age (500 B.C. – 1150 A.D.)

13. 13
Iron Age
Reconstruction of an
Iron Age dress.
Compare the Iron
Age outfit to the
Finnish national
costume.
Women played an important role in the
family. They took care of the home
and cattle, while the men were hunting
and fishing.
Former
Finnish
President,
Tarja Halonen,
wearing an
ancient
costume.

14.  During the Iron Age people built temporary cabins in good hunting
areas. These houses had no chimney, only a hole in the ceiling. In Finnish
these houses are called savupirtti (Smokehouse.)
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Smokehouse
Do you see the similarities
between this picture and the
log construction later in
Finland?
Our house has an
earthen floor.

15.  People became organized societies. In order to protect their
communities they built hillforts, (muinaislinna) as a security
system. From the hillforts they fought against invaders.
 They also had court-circles where they decided community
affairs and solved disputes.
 Places of sacrafice were founded.
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Organized Society

16. By the end of the Iron Age, around 50,000 people lived in
Finland.
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Population
Living areas

17.  The Vikings were Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. Vikings made long
forays, exploration and commercial tours, even to North America.
Finns traded with the Vikings, but they also had reasons to be afraid
of them.
 During the Viking Age, Swedish people moved to Åland and it
became a Swedish speaking region. People have spoken Swedish on
Finland's west coast since the Viking period.
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Viking’s tours (800 – 1025 A.D.)

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Åland
Did you know that Åland
(Island) has autonomy
although it is part of Finland?
Åland’s official language is Swedish and on
Finland’s west coast, Swedish is often still spoken.
There are also cities whose official language is
Swedish.
Hej, Jag tycker att
svenska är ett
roligt språk.

19.  Finland's National Epic is the Kalevala, it tells of the Viking era. The
Kalevala was published in 1835-1836.
 Heroes of the Kalevala made long forays like the Vikings.
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Kalevala
Kalevala Koru is a
Finnish design
Company that
makes jewelry
resembling
original designs
from the Bronze
and Viking Ages.
Do you know what kind
of instrument the
Kantele is? I like to play it.