Session: #389

Theme & Session Format

Theme:
6. Material culture studies and societies
Session format:
Regular session

Title & Content

Title:
From Coast to Coast – Current Archaeological Research on Cultural Exchange along and across the Baltic Sea
Content:
The Baltic Sea is a connecting environment for trade, migration and cultural exchange in prehistoric and historic times and enables long distance trade from modern Scandinavia at the northern coast of the Baltic Sea to the southern coast: the Baltic States, the Kaliningrad area, Poland and Germany. The reception of archaeological research in this area is still very much influenced by the political events of the 20th century, when the Baltic Sea was rather an insurmountable border than a connection between the neighboring states along the northern and southern shores of the Baltic Sea.
This session intends to be a kind of overview on the recent and current research, studies and research projects related to the cultural interaction between different areas along and across the Baltic Sea during the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman and Migration Period, Viking Age and the Middle Ages. We are looking for examples of archaeological data that illustrate social and economic processes, cultural exchange, intercultural and cross-cultural relations of different societies around the Baltic Sea. How much Scandinavian influence can be found at the other Baltic societies? What kind of Baltic, Slavic, Finno-Ugric, etc. material came to Scandinavia? What are the connections amongst the cultures at the southern or eastern coast of the Baltic Sea? Can we identify migration, demographic changes or group identity by international and interdisciplinary exchange of data? We are interested in new research projects and results of studies on the widely understood topic of cultural exchange as well as presentations on methodology, chronology and typology of archaeological sites and artefacts of the Baltic Sea region.
Keywords:
Baltic Sea, Cultural Exchange, Migration, International Research, Chronology
Session associated with MERC:
no
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:

Organisers

Main organiser:
Christoph Jahn (Germany) 1
Co-organisers:
Adam Cieśliński (Poland) 2
Sławomir Wadyl (Poland) 2
Roman Shiroukhov (Germany) 1
Annika Sirkin (Germany) 1
Affiliations:
1. Center for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology Schleswig
2. University of Warsaw