The advance of cultivation at its northern European limit: Process or event?

Dates for early cultivation in Finland obtained from pollen analysis and from remains from archaeological sites are compared to changes in population size derived from the summed calendar year probability distributions published by Tallavaara et al. (2010). The results from these two independent proxies correlate strongly with one another, indicating that population size and the advance of farming were closely linked with each other. Moreover, the results show that the adaptation and development of farming in this area was a complex process comprising several stages and with major differences between regions. The most intensive expansion occurred in and after the Iron Age. It is therefore more accurate describe the introduction of farming into the area as a long-lasting process rather than an event.