ABSTRACT
The title of this chapter to some extent prejudges the processes by which a wide range of artefacts, manufactured on the Continent, arrived in Britain. Clearly there was organized trade, with well-defined mechanisms and, no doubt, recognized exchange rates; this much is evident for the later period from the surviving documentary references. But there were many other means by which exotic material could be imported, ranging from folk movement to gift exchange and bride-price. Archaeological methods can seldom distinguish precisely between the various possible systems. In the discussion to follow the scope of the evidence is laid out in chronological order and, where it is thought to be appropriate, some of the wider implications of the material are discussed.
