Early History

Around 6000 B.C., primitive tribes of hunters and fishermen moved into what is now southern Sweden. About 3000 B.C. agriculture was introduced. Sweden's Bronze Age, which began about 1500 B.C., lasted until about 500 B.C., when iron came into use.

During its Iron Age, Sweden was divided among a number of tribes. The strongest of these people were the seafaring Svear, who occupied the region around Lake Mälaren. About 500 A.D., they established the first Swedish kingdom. By the beginning of the Viking period, the Svear were the nominal rulers of most of the inhabited area of Sweden. (The Swedish name of the country, “Sverige,” means the kingdom of the Svear.)