Ancient Centers, Special Economic Zones and – Restart! New Aspects of Viking Age Urbanism, c. 750-1100

Internationale Fachkonferenz

2013-04-17 to 2013-04-20

Statens Historiska Museum (SHM), Stockholm

The aim of the conference is the discussion of structural aspects of Viking age urbanism at two specific regions in lake Mälaren in Eastern Sweden and at the Schlei fjord at the margin between the North and Continental Europe. The problem of Viking age urbanism has not found a simple explanation yet and rather old models as the Central place theory by Christaller are still being endeavoured. However in recent years important progress has been done regarding questions of structural details, creating a new basis for discussion. The emphasized developments at both of the presented regions shall be confronted with examples from one of the most important centers of the world at that time from Anglo-Saxon England, the Carolingian Realm, Bohemia, the Rus’, the Byzantine Empire and even the Caliphate.

The conference is arranged in an cooperation between the Statens Historiska Museum (SHM), the Arkeologiska forskningslaboratoriet (AFL) of Stockholms university and the Zentrum für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie (ZBSA).

In order to assure the thematic frame of the conference colleagues have been directly invited by the organizers and asked to give a paper on predefined topics according to the problem. However contributions to the discussions as well as poster presentations are more than welcome!