First man in the eastern Finland : an Early Mesolithic inland site with a red-ochre grave in Joensuu Rahakangas

Background Until recently eastern Finland has been devoid of archaeological finds from the postglacial pioneer period, although it was one of the first areas exposed after the retreat of the Continental Ice Sheet. This vacuum seems especially odd in the light of the recent early postglacial finds from northernmost Fennoscandia representing PostSwiderian people of southeastern origin. This situation calls for a survey, excavation and dating programme in the eastern Finland, which was a potential route of the PostSwiderian pioneers to the northern Finland and Arctic coast.