Towns and Commerce in Viking-Age Scandinavia

"This volume offers an interdisciplinary and geographically wide-ranging approach to understanding the emergence of towns and commerce in Viking-age Scandinavia and their eventual demise by the end of the period. It tracks the diverging characteristics of urban communities against the background of traditional social structures in the Viking world"--

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. The Viking-age town: Context and academic debate; 3. The Viking world; 4. Cult, jurisdiction and markets: Things and regional fairs at traditional centres of power; 5. Local society and Viking-age towns; 6. An urbanisation based on harbours; 7. Jurisdiction and taxes; 8. Free trade within narrow boundaries; 9. Special economic zones of their time; 10. Development after the inception phase; 11. Discussion: Hedeby's abandonment and the foundation of Slesvig; 12. Summary and conclusions.

About the author

Sven Kalmring is a scholar of Viking-age archaeology who specialises in maritime archaeology and early medieval urbanisation. A researcher at the Centre for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology in Schleswig, Germany, and docent at Stockholm University, Sweden, he serves on the board of the Medieval Europe Research Community and is a delegate to the Viking Congress.

Summary

This volume offers an interdisciplinary and geographically wide-ranging approach to understanding the emergence of towns and commerce in Viking-age Scandinavia and their eventual demise by the end of the period. It tracks the diverging characteristics of urban communities against the background of traditional social structures in the Viking world.

Product details

• Authors: Sven Kalmring, Sven (Zentrum Fur Baltische Und Skandina Kalmring, Sven (Zentrum fur Baltische und Skandinavische Archaologie (ZBSA) Kalmring
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2023
• EAN: 9781009298094
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0929809-4
• No. of pages: 299
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Pre and early history; European History, Medieval History, Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Empires & historical states, Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500, European history: medieval period, middle ages, HISTORY / Europe / Medieval, C 500 CE To C 1000 CE, European history: the Vikings, HISTORY / Europe / Nordic Countries, Viking / Norse civilisations, c 790 to c 1070 (the Viking Age)