Trade, Salt and Amber. The Formation of Late Migration Period Elites in the ‘Balti-Culti’ Area of Northern Poland (the Elbląg Group)
Volume 17 (2012): People at the Crossroads of Space and Time (Footmarks of Societies in Ancient Europe) I, pp. 60–76
Pub. online: 20 November 2012
Type: Article
Open Access
Received
1 February 2012
1 February 2012
Revised
8 April 2012
8 April 2012
Accepted
28 September 2012
28 September 2012
Published
20 November 2012
20 November 2012
Abstract
This paper presents the Elbląg group at its peak, that is, the late sixth and early seventh centuries. Imports are presented, namely Scandinavian (but also Merovingian) denominators of opulence (drinking horns, particular imported goods, seaxes in ornamental scabbards, and so on), and also the possible grounds on which local settlers thrived (the amber trade, maybe also the salt trade). The geostrategic position of the Elbląg group is analysed, as well as sea trade routes and boats used on the Baltic Sea during the Late Migration Period. Contacts between southern Scandinavia and the Elbląg group are described against the wider cultural and political background.