Trade, exchange, standardisation and money: the interaction between Slavs, Vikings and Arabs on the early medieval trade routes of the Baltic and Eastern Europe
This paper has explored the archaeological, historical and iconographical evidence for the development of standardisation at early medieval marketplaces in the Viking Age along the trade routes of the Baltic and Eastern Europe. 'Commodity money' and 'fiat money', together with the standardisation of commodities and traded goods will be discussed in the wider context of the mechanisms of trade and exchange. The wider socio-economic implications for organized trade and exchange will discussed and comparisons and contrasts highlighted.