Prehistory is the time from which no written record exists. Prehistory is divided into the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age, according to which material was used to make the most important tools.
Signs of human life have been found in Finland from more than 100,000 years ago, but permanent habitation only begins after the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. There were people living in the prehistoric period for about 9000 years. Historic time has not yet lasted 1000 years. The prehistoric period ended with the advent of written documents, in western Finland, approximately 1150 A.D., and in the country's eastern and northern parts, around 1300 A.D.
