Roman Reflections

Roman Reflections in Iron Age-Viking Age Northern Europe uses a series of detailed and deeply researched case studies to explore the links with and impact from Roman society in Northern Europe of the Iron and Viking Ages. In an original way, Roman Reflections brings late prehistoric Denmark - best known from the standpoint of its bog bodies - into a world dominated by textual histories, principally Tacitus. The studies include a new examination of the so-called bog-bodies of the late first millennium BC, a classical archaeological puzzle: men, women and children murdered but respected in death and with items of fine clothing. Another challenges the traditionally-held ideas about the Cimbri by exploring the significance of the find of the startling and famous European artefact, the Gundestrup silver cauldron. Other studies comprise of an archaeologically founded modernist discussion of the ethnography of Tacitus' Germania, in particular the character of ancient Germanic Bronze and Iron Age society, and a linguistic exploration of the Latin inheritance in Northern Europe' names and places. Throughout, traditional sources and history are presented in conjunction with new archaeological observations and interpretations. In an accessible way, Roman Reflections assesses Denmark's part on a larger stage, showing how this lay the foundations for its zenith in Viking times.