while the north of the peninsula was already settled in the 7th–5th millennium bce, the rest of its territory remained uninhabited until the 3rd millennium bce, when various peoples started to arrive from the south. however, by the 1st millennium ce only the sami people remained. this changed in the 12th century, when russian pomors discovered the peninsula's game and fish riches. soon after, the pomors were followed by the tribute collectors from the novgorod republic, and the peninsula gradually became a part of the novgorodian lands. no permanent settlements, however, were established by the novgorodians until the 15th century.