Northern Emporium: Vol. 1 The Making of Viking-age Ribe

The Northern Emporium research project conducted excavations in Ribe, Denmark, to study the history of the emporium and its social fabric. The project used novel methods to explore the site's networks, including geoarchaeology, 3D stratigraphic recording, environmental sampling, and artifact recovery. The results transformed our understanding of key points of the early history of the North Sea region, including the creation of Viking Age social networks and the daily lives of notable inhabitants.

Format: Hardback
Length: 500 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2022
Publisher: Jysk Arkaeologisk Selskab

The emergence of maritime trading towns, known as emporia, along the northern coasts of Europe during the early Middle Ages was a significant milestone in archaeology. These early urban sites have provided invaluable insights into the period between the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of a maritime-oriented world during the Viking Age. One of these sites, Ribe, located on the western coast of Denmark, has undergone extensive research excavations by the Northern Emporium research project in 2017-18. This first volume presents the results of these excavations and analyses, which aim to piece together the history of the emporium and its social fabric. The research employs innovative, high-definition methods to explore the networks of the site, combining extensive use of geoarchaeology and 3D stratigraphic recording with intensive environmental sampling and artefact recovery. As a result, over 100,000 artefact finds have been made. These findings have transformed our understanding of key points in the early history of the North Sea region. Through the remains of dwellings and workshops, we can trace the creation of Viking Age social networks, as well as some of the most iconic artistic products of this world and the daily lives of some of its notable inhabitants. The Northern Emporium research project has made significant contributions to our knowledge of the early history of the North Sea region, and its findings will continue to shape our understanding of this period for years to come.

ISBN-13: 9788793423749