From Coast to Coast

Current Archaeological Research on Cultural Exchange along and across the Baltic Sea

Cieslinski, Adam (ed.)
Wadyl, Slawomir (ed.)
Jahn, Christoph (ed.)

The Baltic Sea has functioned as a connecting environment for trade, migration, and cultural exchange since prehistory, enabling long-distance trade from the shores of Scandinavia to the modern-day Baltic States, Kaliningrad, Poland, and Germany. Despite the sea’s historical role as a conduit for long-distance interaction, however, the reception of archaeological research in this area remains shaped by twentieth-century political divisions that instead transformed it into a barrier.
This book offers a snapshot of recent and ongoing research, case studies, and archaeological projects focused on cultural interaction across and along the Baltic Sea. Covering the Iron Age, Roman and Migration Periods, Viking Age, and the Middle Ages, the volume presents examples of archaeological data that illustrate social and economic processes, cultural exchange, and the complex web of intercultural and cross-cultural relations among the societies that border the Baltic. Through these contributions, which foreground both continuity and disruption, this volume contributes to a deeper understanding of the Baltic Sea as a historically rich and multifaceted cultural landscape.