ABSTRACT
ThenorthEuropeanareawithwhichweareconcernedherestretches fromtheRhinedeltaeastwardsacrossthenorthEuropeanplain,through thefloodplainsofthegreatriversElbe,OderandVistulawhichflow northwardsfromthecentralEuropeanuplandsintotheNorthSeaand theBaltic.Allofthisarea,over1,oookmfromwesttoeast,lieswithin about100kmofthesea,eithertheNorthSeaortheBalticSea.1Tothe northoftheplainisthepeninsulaofJutlandandtheDanishIslands(map 6).MostoftheseareasofnorthernEuropelielessthan100mabovesea level,exceptintheKoszalin-Gdailskregion.Northwards,acrossthe Skagerrak,theKattegatandtheBaltic,arethehighlandsofnorthern Europe(Norway,SwedenandFinlandtothenorth-east).Notallofthese landsareelevated,anditissignificantthattheextremesouthernpartof Sweden(Scaniaandthecoastalzones)arelow-lyingandhaveyielded abundantevidenceforintensiveBronzeAgeoccupation,whereasthe highlandareasapparentlywereexcludedfromfullparticipationinat leastthemetallurgicalaspectsoftheBronzeAge.Moreimportantthan this,however,istheessentialfactthatallregionsofthenorthwereclose tomaritimewaters,whichcouldfurnishnotonlysomefoodsuppliesbut alsoaccessfromislandtoisland,contactbetweentheSwedishlandmass andthenorthEuropeanplain,andcommunicationbetweencommunities livingalongthecoasts.
