Lund and the Earliest Baltic Ware

Abstract

Baltic ware was the most common type of ceramic in southern Scandinavia during the Early Medieval period. The origin of the vessels were Scandinavia, Northern Germany and Poland, and the influences began already during the Viking Age, but exactly when Baltic ware came into use in the Scandinavian homes has not been properly determined. It has been related to the foundation of the city of Lund, though a problem is that the date for the founding of Lund is moving ever backwards in time. Recent studies have shown that the earliest layers in Lund can be dated to the 970s, and this indicates that the pottery also originates from this period. This article discusses the earliest Baltic ware in Scania, how early the vessels could be, where they were made, and what types of vessels appeared.