ABSTRACT
The Viking Age emporium of Hedeby is situated at the narrowest part of the Cimbrian peninsula near the Danevirke, which functioned as the Danish border to the south in the Middle Ages. Accessible from both the west and the east, Hedeby possessed a key position in connecting the trading systems of the North Sea to the Baltic Basin. The place is known from written records since 804 and developed in the ninth century to become the leading emporium or proto-town of the Danish kingdom until its final destruction in 1066. Its functions and political role were transferred to Schleswig/Slesvig on the other side of the Schlei/Slie fjord. Hedeby itself is well known for its extensive archaeological research done by German archaeologists since 1900.
