The character of the sites, as well as the quantity and nature of the commodities,
show that long-distance exchange had attained a level of intensity and regularity not
found in other parts of northern Europe in this period. But, there were other spheres of
interaction. One emerges from the end of the eighth century when Staraya Ladoga in
north-west Russia and possibly Truso in Prussia became critical links in the near-eastern
economy through fur and possibly slave trade. Towards the end of the eighth century
Arabic silver coins, or dirhams, appear first in Russian then Scandinavian and other sites
along with mass-produced glass beads and other items of near-eastern origin (Noonan
1980 ; Davidan 1995 ; Callmer 1995 ). The beads arrived in sufficient quantities to oust
the local production of glass beads in such sites as Ribe and Åhus within a few years.
The first decades of the ninth century marked the apogee and a change of guard for
the emporia network. Hedeby (Haithabu) was established at the southern Danish
border and quickly took on the role as a bridge between the North Sea and the Baltic. As
the Royal Frankish Annals inform, its foundation happened in direct consequence of
political conflicts, and its protection was a matter for the Danish king. Kaupang in
Norway was established at the same time, and very possibly on the same initiative (see
Skre, ch. 8. 3 , above). It is worth noting that characteristic Norwegian products such as
Eidsborg hones and steatite vessels first occur in southern Scandinavia at the same time
(Figure 9. 1 ) (Myrvoll 1985 ; Sindbæk 2005 : 137 ff.).
While the first decades of the ninth century appear to be a culmination of develop-
ments through the past century, the following period bears every mark of crisis. Many
of the sites that had previously transmitted long-distance exchange were either
extinguished or substantially reduced during the mid-ninth century, when the
Carolingian Empire disintegrated and Viking raids escalated.
Figure 9. 1 Eidsborg hones and fragments of steatite vessels from Norway, found in Aggersbog,
Denmark. Stone objects, whose provenance can often be established by petrological analyses, are some of
the archaeologically most perceptible traces of interregional exchange in Viking Scandinavia. (Photo:
Department of Medieval and Renaissance Archaeology, Aarhus University.)
–– chapter 9 : Local and long-distance exchange––