Introduction of agriculture in Valamo, Russian Karelia: palaeoecology of Lake Niikkananlampi

Pioneer results of pollen and charcoal analyses and 14C determinations from Valamo, an island in Lake Ladoga, show some evidence of human activity as long ago as during the Pre-Roman Iron Age (500–0 BC), and indicate that grazing in the area started in the Merovingian Period (AD 550/600–800) and cereal cultivation – in remote parts of the island – in the late 13th century.