This article concentrates on an analysis of an ancient lakeside landscape: how a big inland lake in Estonia (Lake Peipus in eastern Estonia) has affected the development of the settlement on its shores (the example of Kodavere parish). The lake is part of a landscape with different layers, some of them are mental, some are physical. The article tries to define the landscape and its layers, and to use the most suitable layer to describe a prehistoric lakeside landscape in Estonia.