Northern Europe, Scandinavia: 06 DENMARK (S): 

Roman Period (43-410)

Augustus (76; r.27-00-14) wanted to push the Roman border eastwards towards the Elbe but after the Roman defeat in 9 AD, the Rhine became the accepted border between the Roman Empire and the German tribes.

Subsequent Roman emperors, to exert control over German tribes on the Roman borders, encouraged alliances with the leaders of the lands beyond. Lesser Roman goods had been coming into Scandinavia for some time and now Roman pottery, glass beads, jewellery and weapons were exchanged for luxury Scandinavian goods such as amber and fur. 

As trade with the Roman world intensified, certain centres by virtue of their command of route nodes became powerful with the power residing in the local elites. One such centre was Gudme in eastern Funen. At its height Gudme included 50 large farms, each with houses up to 35 metres in length. In the area around the farms, Gudme was a major location for forging metals. Gold, silver and bronze were imported, such as Roman statues cut into scrap to be melted and forged.

A few kilometres away on the east coast at Lundeborg, trading took place and ships were repaired. Dankirke on the west side of the Jutland peninsula would have attracted trading vessels from countries to the west.

Around 200 AD the enclosed village of the Pre-Roman Iron Age disappeared and the division into individual farmsteads was completed. The field systems (Celtic fields) were abandoned and replaced by an infield/outfield system, leading to an intensification of production. 

The earliest inscription in Denmark consists of a single runic word, Harja, etched into a bone comb found in the Vimose bog, Funen, dating back to about 120 AD.

Many theories have been proposed for the burial sites at Himlingøje (150-300), Stevns municipality, Zealand. One of these is that the rich graves are those of the first kings of the Danes. At all events, they suggest that these were princes of great importance and influence expanding westwards beyond the Tryggevælde Å to the west.

Nydam Mose (bog) in South Jutland was a sacred place, where the weapons and ships of vanquished armies were offered to the indigenous gods in thanks for victory over the fallen enemy. Many items were deliberately destroyed (bent, broken or hacked into pieces) in ritual sacrificial acts.