Waterways and the stone age and early metal period studies on the Karelian Isthmus – The pre-World War II studies and research carried out by the University of Helsinki in 1998–2006

The Karelian Isthmus has played a central role in understanding Finnish Stone Age and Early Metal Period. This is because of its topographic position with waterways which are connecting several large water basins – the Gulf of Finland, Lake Ladoga and Lake Saimaa. During the Stone Age and Early Metal Period several changes have taken place in the water connections and elevations of all the basins which have influenced the topographic setting of dwelling sites. The Karelian Isthmus has also been the route for people to reach each other in the large areas in the west and east. A central objective of the paper is to elucidate the long research history of the Isthmus particularly in the light of Finnish archaeology. Until the end of the World War II the area belonged to the most important research areas for Finnish archaeologists. After the long period of silence, the fieldwork has quickly increased during the 1990s and particularly in the Early 2000s. For these reasons also this latest period of research will be discussed. The position of sites in the neighbourhood of waterways is discussed, although it is not possible to do detailed examinations of their position.