Neolithic Period (5300-1500 BC)
| Site | Type | Location | BC |
| Huhdasjärvi site | Kouvola Mun | 5300 | |
| Säräisniemi 1 Ware | Sär-1 | North | 5300-3700 |
| Early Comb Ware 1 | Ka1:1 | South | 5200-4000 |
| =Sperrings 1 Ware | |||
| Huhdasjärvi site | Kouvola Mun | 5000 | |
| Early Asbestos Ware | Southeast | 4670-3840 | |
| Saraakallio paintings | Laukaa Mun | 4600 | |
| Kierikki site | Yli-Ii Mun | 5000-3000 | |
| Early Comb Ware 2 | Ka1:2 | West Coast | 4500-4200 |
| =Sperrings 2 Ware | |||
| Jäkärlä Ware | Southwest coast | 4300-4000 | |
| Kaunissaari Ware | East & South | 4300-3800 | |
| Kolmhaara cemetery | Eura Mun | 4100-3200 | |
| Typical Comb Ware | Ka2 | Central-South | 3900-3500 |
| Hartikka cemetary | Laukaa Mun | 3800-3400 | |
| Late Comb Ware | Ka3 | Central-South | 3500-3200 |
| Kierikki Ware | Southeast | 3500-3100 | |
| Pitted Ware culture | Åland Islands | 3300-2300 | |
| Pyheensilta Ware | Ka4 | Southwest/South | 3200-2800 |
| Corded Ware | Southwest/South | 3200-2300 | |
| Pöljä & Jysmä W | Southeast | 3100-1500 | |
| Astuvansalmi paintings | Mikkeli Mun | 3000-2500 | |
| Giant’s Church Culture | Southwest | 2900-2300 | |
| Battle Axe culture | Southwest | 2800-2300 | |
| Kastelli Giant’s Church | Raahe Mun | 2500 | |
| Kiukainen Culture | Southwest | 2300-1700 |
In Finland, the Neolithic is characterized by the introduction of ceramic pots enabling the boiling of food, significantly impacting food preparation and diet. The various pottery traditions were supported by hunting and fishing by Hunter-gatherer groups until the introduction of animal husbandry in c.1500 BC and later also agriculture.
The first two ceramics in Finland were Sperrings-1 Ware (5200-4000 BC) in the south, occupying most of Finland up southern Lapland, and Säräisniemi-1 Ware in the north overlapping with the northern part of Sperrings-1 and extending northwards up to the shore of the Barents Sea.
Sperrings 2 Ware (5200-4000 BC) emerged in the coastal west. At about the same time the use of local asbestos started in the Finish Lakeland resulting in the emergence of an asbestos-tempered variant of Sperrings 2 Ware. Asbestos was used in early pottery primarily for its reinforcing and heat-resistant properties. Kaunissaari Ware (4300-3800 BC), another asbestos-tempered pottery type, coexisted with Sperrings 2 in the eastern lake area. Jäkärlä Ware (4300-4000 BC) occupied the southwest corner.
Typical Comb Ware (3900–3500 BC) succeeded earlier ceramic types in the southwest, but did not spread any further north than Sperrings Ware did. Commonly found in Typical Comb Ware sites are semi-subterranean houses, richly furnished graves and contacts to amber and flint areas.
After Late Comb Ware period (3500-3200 BC), there was a succession of asbestos-tempered ceramic wares, of which Kierikki (3500-3100 BC), Pöljä (3100-1500 BC) and Jysmä (3100-1500 BC) are counted as preceding several Early Metal ceramics (1500-00-300) in eastern and western Finland.
Pitted Ware culture 3300-2300 BC was primarily located in coastal regions of southern Scandinavia, including parts of Finland, specifically the Åland Islands.
In the southern and coastal areas, comb ceramics were partly replaced by Corded Ware (3200-2300 BC). The carriers of this culture are thought to have practiced early forms of husbandry and even agriculture. However, stronger evidence of agriculture in southern Finland is only found in the next period, the Kiukainen Culture (2300-1500 BC).
Giant’s Churches (2900-2300 BC) are rectangular or oval stone enclosures and are the oldest prehistoric structures in Finland. Around forty sites have been found in a 400 kilometre (250 miles) strip on the northwest coast. One of the largest is the Kastelli Giant’s Church, which encloses an area of 60 by 35 metres (197 by 115 ft).
The Battle Axe culture (2800-2300 BC), thought to be an offshoot of the Corded Ware culture, emerged in Finland’s south and west. Battle Axe culture groups generally practiced cultivation or animal husbandry, but in Finland no direct evidence of agriculture has yet been found. Hammer-shaped axes and corded ware characterize this culture.
The material culture of the Kiukainen culture (2300-1500 BC) combined elements from Comb Ware and Corded Ware cultures. Studies have found evidence of cereal grains and Hordeum-type pollen, bones of sheep or goats and residues of milk lipids in pottery residues.
Palynological evidence of cultivation has obtained from the site at Huhdasjärvi, Kouvola Municipality, Kymenlaakso Region, which revealed increased human activity and pollen from Hordeum (grass) and Hemp (cannabis) dating to c.4000 BC. An unexpected additional finding was that of buckwheat pollen dating to c.5000 BC.
The use of copper in Finland began shortly after 4000 BC and a key piece of evidence of this is a copper adze, dated to approximately 3800-2500 BC, found on Kukkosaari Island, Suomussalmi Municipality, Kainuu Region.
Early copper use in Finland is primarily evidenced by jewellery and adornments. During the Bronze and Iron ages local resources of metals were scarce and had to be imported through extensive trade networks.
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