Natural resources and agriculture during the Iron Age in Ostrobothnia,western Finland,investigated by pollen analysis

In Ostrobothnia, western Finland, the Viking period (A.D. 800–1050) in contrast to the rich Migration period (A.D. 400–550/600), is poor in archaeological finds. Archaeologists have interpreted this as indicating a break in settlement continuity. Palaeoecological investigations using pollen analyses and radiocarbon dating of peat cores from ten sites show that field cultivation and animal husbandry have taken place continuously throughout the entire Iron Age in Ostrobothnia. Slash-and-burn cultivation was not of importance in the studied area, but small-scale cereal cultivation occurred on permanent, tilled and manured fields. The Iron Age agriculture was largely dependent on animal husbandry and therefore was located close to the sea because the natural, highly productive shore meadows were an indispensable fodder resource. As a consequence of the progressive rapid change of the natural environment caused by the flat topography and land upheaval, the settlements were regularly relocated to keep pace with the westwards retreating sea. Settlement continuity in Iron Age coastal Ostrobothnia has to be looked upon in a regional rather than a local perspective because of the changing landscape. The results of this palaeoecological study, in which investigations were carried out in several parts of the region, demonstrate regional settlement continuity throughout the Iron Age.