People On River Landscapes
People On River Landscapes

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with North Estonian river landscapes and their prehistoric settlement. Notwithstanding the numerous archaeological investigations that have been carried out around the rivers here, there is still no study discussing the development of human settlement of these areas in general, and in a long-term perspective. It has been suggested that farming in Estonia started first in river valleys. Although traces of both Stone Age and Bronze Age habitation have been discovered in many valleys, the evidence is not sufficient to prove a direct connection between settlement of different periods and of different natural conditions. The present study demonstrates that inhabitants in later settlements were, at least sporadically, conscious of earlier settlements. The article analyses the development of settlement around rivers, and the background that made long-time habitation possible in some places, while others were abandoned after the end of the foraging Stone Age.

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