more dense town-like structure. The material found in the settlement clearly indicates a
connection with the marketplace as to a certain degree traces of craft production and
trade are also found in the majority of the excavations outside the area with the work-
shop plots.
It must, however, be emphasised that although no certain permanent settlement
dating from the first half of the eighth century has been discovered, this might exist in a
number of undated settlement traces. At the same time it is also essential to notice that
there are only a very few single finds of objects from the tenth and eleventh centuries,
and there are absolutely no real constructions in the form of houses or wells etc. Despite
the few written sources about Ribe from the tenth and eleventh centuries it must, from
an archaeological point of view, be argued that the town either disappeared or at least
diminished considerably during these two centuries (Feveile 2006 c: 84 ff.).
About forty-seven graves have been investigated dating to the eighth to eleventh
centuries (Figure 8. 5. 1 ). They are all situated in a large borderline area to the east
and the north of the settlement. The graves have been investigated in five separate
excavations, but there is hardly any doubt that originally they formed part of one big
or several large graveyards. The majority of the graves – about thirty-three of then – can
be dated to the eighth and ninth centuries. Apart from two graves – both inhumation
graves with children – they are poorly equipped cremation graves. The majority are
without burial gifts, while in some graves there are a few burial gifts in the form of glass
beads, iron items etc. One individual cremation grave from the eighth century con-
tained parts of riding equipment, while another grave from the ninth century contained
a Frankish sword mount of gilded silver. Fourteen inhumation graves can probably be
dated to the tenth–eleventh centuries.
Figure 8. 5. 1 Plan of the town of Ribe, with the early Viking parts east of the river (shaded area).–– Claus Feveile––