Viking Silver, Hoards and Containers

The Archaeological and Historical Context of Viking-Age Silver Coin Deposits in the Baltic c. 800-1050
1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-0-367-66248-6
Verlag: Routledge

Buch, Englisch, 400 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 608 g

Reihe: Routledge Archaeologies of the Viking World

It is widely accepted that the Viking Age (c. 800–1050) stimulated the development of long-distance, regional and local trade and exchange networks. The clearest archaeological evidence for these contacts is mainly in the form of silver artefacts predominantly found in hoards in Northern and Central Europe – the Baltic zone. However, beyond occasional national- or regional-level research, there have been no attempts at a historically guided comparative archaeological survey of the Baltic zone as a whole.

By investigating silver hoards and the context of their deposition, Viking Silver, Hoards and Containers seeks to understand the variety of functions performed by hoards; the differences in function within regions; the hoards’ relationship with trade; and the nature and function of emporia. It also examines the extent to which the findings mesh with literary evidence and the nature of the different societies benefiting from the influx of silver in the Viking Age. Crucially, the book features a catalogue, which provides a thorough overview and update of Baltic-zone hoards.

Viking Silver, Hoards and Containers is intended for use by students of, and specialists in, early medieval, Viking and Slavic history and archaeology. However, it will also be a useful teaching resource for other general courses in archaeology, anthropology and material culture, numismatics, economic history, religious studies, GIS and statistics.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gruszczy¿ski, Jacek

Gruszczynski, Jacek

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Table of contents

1 Introduction; 2 Gotland: The silver island; 3 Pomerania: Slavs and war perpetual; 4 Svealand: A mainland kingdom; 5 Composition and patterns of hoard deposition from a chronological perspective; 6 Synthesis and conclusions; Appendix A: Scope, datasets and methodology; Appendix B: Concise catalogue of silver hoards c. 800–1050; Glossary; References

Über Autor(innen)

Jacek Gruszczynski was a Research Associate at the Khalili Research Centre, University of Oxford, and works as an archaeology and heritage consultant. Gruszczynski obtained his MA in Archaeology from the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, and his doctorate from Oxford. His research interests focus on hoarding practices in the context of settlement, economy, and social and political structures in the Viking Age.