SCANDINAVIANS and WEST-BALTS in 2013 and 2014
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QUAESTIONES MEDII AEVI NOVAE (2014) MAREK JAGODZIŃSKI ELBLĄG SCANDINAVIANS AND WEST-BALTS CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY ON THE ISSUE OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE SCANDINAVIANS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SETTLEMENT AND ECONOMIC-POLITICAL STRUCTURES IN WEST-BALTS DURING THE VIKING AGE In 2013 and 2014, were created in Europe two large and important archaeological exhibitions: “Vikings. Life and Legend”, which was created by three European Museums: Staatliche Museen (Berlin), British Museum (London) and National Museum of Denmark (Copenhagen) and “The World in the Viking Age” organised by the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde. For both exhibitions were prepared extensive catalogues that represent the newest state of knowledge about the Viking Age1. At these exhibitions are presented artefacts discovered during the archaeological research in Truso emporium. Since these exhibitions, only marginally discuss relationships between Scandinavian and Balts, should be, even fragmentary discusses this issue. In European archaeology, which deals with “Viking Age”, there is a continuous increase of interest about the problems of craft and commercial centres in the Baltic Sea region – the so-called “early urban sett lements”. This is due to the fact, that such sett lements appeared in all locations: Scandinavian, Slavic and Baltic areas, as well as the fact that their role in the social and economic development of early medieval communities has not yet been conclusively determined. The appearance of places, especially in the regions of Slavic and Baltic colonisation, where foreign infl uence (usually Scandinavian) is easily observable and perhaps even dominated culturally, 1 Vikings. Life and Legend, eds. G. Williams, P. Pentz , M. Wemhoff , London 2014; The World in the Viking Age, eds. S.M. Sindbæk, A. Trakadas, Roskilde 2014. 392 MAREK JAGODZIŃSKI has instigated a focus of recent research on Slavic-Scandinavian and Baltic- -Scandinavian connections. The excavations, which took place in the last few decades in such sett lements, resulted in a signifi cant increase in the amount of the material remains that can allows to analyse this problem in details. Also previously explored sites were re-visited and individual artefacts as well as the whole sett lements were analysed, which, together with the results of the latest research, helped to partially correct the chronology. It also resulted in the broader picture of the signifi cance of contacts between the Slavs, Balts and the Scandinavians in the process of creation and development of such sett lements2. An example of such sett lement in Poland is Truso on Druzno Lake and on the estuary of large Vistula River. Alfred the Great mentioned Truso, as an emporium located on the border of West-Balts and Slavic sett lement3. Before approaching the problematic of Scandinavians-Balts contacts in the “Viking Age” a clear defi nition of the aforementioned period of time should be given. The terms: Wikinger-Periode (Viking Period), Frühe Wikingerzeit (Early Viking Age) and Haupt-Wikingerzeit (Main Viking Age), has been introduced into the humanities by German archaeologists in the 1920s and 1930s4 as a addition or expansion of chronological division of Early Middle Ages which has been worked out in the beginning of 20th century (Fig. 1)5. 2 W. Duczko, Scandinavians in the Southern Baltic between the 5th and the 10th Centuries A.D., in: Origins of Central Europe, ed. P. Urbańczyk, Warsaw 1997, pp. 191-211; idem, Obecność skandynawska na Pomorzu i słowiańska w Skandynawii we wczesnym średniowieczu, in: Salsa Cholbergiensis. Kołobrzeg w średniowieczu, eds. L. Leciejewicz, M. Rębkowski, Kołobrzeg 2000, pp. 23-44; idem, Ruś Wikingów. Historia obecności Skandynawów we wczesnośredniowiecznej Europie Wschodniej, Warszawa 2007; W. Łosiński, Rola kontaktów ze Skandynawią w dziejach gospodarczych Słowian Nadbałtyckich, “Przegląd Archeologiczny” XLV (1997), pp. 73-86; M.F. Jagodziński, Zagadnienie obecności Skandynawów w rejonie ujścia Wisły we wczesnym średniowieczu, “Pruthenia” IV (2008), pp. 117-192. 3 Orosius Paulus, Historiarum adversus paganos libri VII in: Chorografi a Orozjusza w anglosaskim przekładzie króla Alfreda, in: Źródła skandynawskie i anglosaskie do dziejów Słowiańszczyzny, ed. G. Labuda, Warszawa 1961; The Old-English Orosius, ed. J. Bately, London 1980; King Alfred’s Orosius, I: Old-English Text and Latin Original, ed. H. Sweet, “Early English Text Society’s Publications” LXXIX (1883); J. Bately, Wulfstan’s Voyage and His Description of Estland. The Test and the Language of the Text, in: Wulfstan’s Voyage. The Baltic Sea Region in the Early Viking Age as Seen from Shipboard. Maritime Culture of the North, II, eds. A. Englert, A. Trakadas, Roskilde 2009, pp. 14-28. 4 W. Gaerte, Urgeschichte Ostpreussens, Königsberg 1929, p. 320; C. Engel, Beiträge zur Gliederung des jüngsten heidnischen Zeitalters in Ostpreussen, “Acta Universitatis Latviensis Philologorum et Philosophorum Ordinis Series” I (1931), p. 314; idem, Aus ostpreußischer Vorzeit, Königsberg 1935, p. 60. 5 O. Tischler, H. Kemke, Ostpreußische Altertümer aus der Zenit der großen Gräberfeld nach Christi Geburt, Königsberg 1902; A. Bezzenberger, Analysen vorgeschichtlicher Bronzen Ostpreußens, Königsberg 1904 (refer to Fig. 1). SCANDINAVIANS AND WEST-BALTS. CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY... 393 Viking period has been singled out within the confi nes of Jüngere Eisenzeit (Younger Iron Age) connected with many archaeological discoveries (mainly burial sites or loose artefacts, seldom sett lement sites), where a clear or signifi cant participation of Scandinavian substrate in arms or jewellery or forms of burial rites has been noted (Fig. 2). This problematic has been repeatedly brought into scientifi c literature, because of spectacular fi ndings either in Sambia (Kaliningrad Oblast: Kaup- -Wiskiauten burial site), either near Nemunas estuary to Curonian Lagoon (Linkuhnen burial site) or in Elbląg (Pole Nowomiejskie burial site)6. A fi ne recapitulation of this period of research (up to World War II) has been published by Bernt von zur Mühlen7. This work gathers all published or accessible archaeological units in museum inventories worldwide or single artefacts, which can be connected with Scandinavian impact. Created especially for this task enabled author to clear division of the area between centres near Truso in the West, Sambia in the centre and Nemunas estuary in the East (Fig. 3). Scientifi c research on this topic began to thrive only in 1980s when a new period of archaeological surveys occurred8. From the early 1990s a new 6 M. Ebert, Truso, “Schriften der Königsberger Gelehrten Gesellschaft” III (1926) 1; B. Ehrlich, Elbing, Benkenstein und Meislatein. Ein neuer Beitrag zur Trusoforschung, “Mannus” XXIV (1932), pp. 399-420; idem, Truso und seine Beziehungen zur Wikingerfrage, “Korrespondenzblatt des Gesamtvereins der deutschen Gesichts- und Altertumsvereine” LXXX (1933) 3, pp. 212-218; idem, Der preußisch-wikingische Handelsplatz Truso, “Elbinger Jahrbuch” XIV (1937), pp. 1-17; C. Engel, Beiträge zur Gliederung..., pp. 313-336; idem, Das vierstöckige Gräberfeld von Linkuhnen, “Fornvännen” XXVII (1932), pp. 168-177; idem, Aus ostpreußischer Vorzeit, Königsberg 1935; K. Gloger, Germanen in Osteuropa. Versuch einer Geschichte Osteuropas von den Unfängen bis zum Beginn des 13. Jahrhunderts, Leipzig 1943; W. la Baume, Die Wikinger, in: Vorgeschichte der deutschen Stämme. Germanische Tat und Kultur auf deutschem Boden, III, ed. H. Reinerth, Berlin 1940, pp. 1345-1355; K. Langenheim, Spuren der Wikinger um Truso, “Elbinger Jahrbuch” XI (1933), pp. 262-283; idem, Nochmals ‘Spuren der Wikinger um Truso’, “Gothiskandza. Blätt er für Danziger Vorgeschichte” I (1939), pp. 52-61; B. von zur Mühlen, Die Kultur der Wikinger in Ostpreußen, “Bonner Hefte zur Vorgeschichte” IX (1975); W. Neugebauer, Die Bedeutung des wikingischen Gräberfeldes in Elbing für die Wikingerbewegung im Ostseegebiet, “Elbinger Jahrbuch” XIV (1937) 1, pp. 19-28; idem, Ein wikingisches Gräberfeld in Elbing, Regierungs-Bezirk Westpreussen, “Nachrichtenblatt für deutsche Vorzeit” XIII (1937), pp. 54-58; idem, Das wikingische Gräberfeld in Elbing, “Altpreussen. Vierteljahresschrift für Vorgeschichte und Volkskunde” III (1938) 1, pp. 2-6; idem, Das wikingische Gräberfeld von Elbing-Neustädterfeld und die Lage Trusos, in: Bericht über die Kieler Tagung der Forschungs- und Lehrgemeinschaft ‘Das Ahnenerbe’, Neumünster 1939, pp. 154-161; B. Nerman, Swedish Waking Colonies on the Baltic, “Eurasia Septentrionalis Antiqua” IX (1934), pp. 357-380; F.E. Peiser, Gräberfeld in Splitt er, Kr. Tilsit, “Sitz ungsberichte der Altertumsgesellschaft Prussia” XXII (1900-1904), pp. 336-346; E. Petersen, Der ostelbische Raum als germanisches Kraftfeld im Lichte der Bodenfunde des 6-8 Jahrhunderts, Leipzig 1939. 7 B. von zur Mühlen, Die Kultur.... 8 Truso was founded in 1981, see M.F. Jagodziński Truso. Między Weonodlandem a Witlandem, Elbląg 2010, p. 46, n. 61. 394 MAREK JAGODZIŃSKI period of discussion on Scandinavian-Balts relations in Early Medieval Ages has started9. A 60-year-old publication of Henryk Łowmiański has to be mentioned in this place, since this medieval researcher was to fi rst to notice the diversity of the whole process10. He was the one to distinguish the relations between Scandinavians and the Eastern Balts, like Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians and Western Balts on contrary. Analysis of accessible data done by Łowmiański forced him to think that in the age of the greatest Viking expansion in Europe,