In the early Middle Ages, the Baltic region was an area of contact between the kingdoms of Scandinavia, the Frankish Empire, and the Baltic and Slavic areas. An international economic area emerged in which goods, information, and people continually passed through. The central elements were ports that specialized in interregional trade and the associated crafts.
In a joint project funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft along with the Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research, the DAI is researching the early medieval port and the associated settlements between the bays of Wismar and Gdansk.
Exposed wicker mats that were very well preserved in the peat soil (Photo: Sack) 
Numerous finds of beads demonstrate far-reaching contacts, some of which extend beyond the Baltic region (Photo: Karle, Niedersächsisches Institut für historische Küstenforschung) 
View of the excavation in the Dierkow district of Rostock (Photo: Karle, Niedersächsisches Institut für historische Küstenforschung)