CHAPTER EIGHT

THE DEVELOPMENT OF URBANISM

IN SCANDINAVIA

Dagfinn Skre

T

he earliest Viking Age is the period when urbanism first gained a foothold in the
Scandinavian lands (Figure 8. 1 ). At this time urban communities had for several
centuries been abundant further south and west in the Roman Empire, thereafter in the
Frankish and the English kingdoms. However, Scandinavia maintained its totally rural

Figure 8. 1 Map showing the towns and sites discussed in this chapter.