The archipelago of Southwest Finland has been populated since the neolithic (roughly 2000-1300 BCE). The rich natural resources attracted people to the post-glacial archipelago in the Stone Age and Bronze Age. The Baltic Sea was much more saline in those days, thus offering large catches of Atlantic cod among other fish. A large population of grey seal inhabited the area. The humans utilized the rich populations of seabirds as a source of eggs, meat and down. Because of the warmer climate, the conditions for small-scale agriculture and cattle herding were even better than nowadays.