TOPICS OF INTEREST
Gotland’s dramatic past
When did the first people actually come to Gotland and why have we found so much silver treasure here? Why is it that saffron pancake is so popular here? How long have people been travelling over the Baltic? We asked Lars Kruthof, programme responsible teacher at Gotlands Museum, to help us answer these questions.
When the Ice Age drew its last breath almost 10,000 years ago, people began to make their way north. Even to Gotland, as seen by skeletal and habitation remains. “During the Stone Age, people were mostly gatherers, seal hunters and fishermen, but eventually, trade grew in importance. Our location in the middle of the Baltic made us an ideal hub for trade. Here, people could restock their stores and exchange goods. Travel was important even then,” Lars Kruthof explains.
Incredibly wealthy travellers
The many ship settings, cairns and grave sites in Gotland tell the story of multi-faceted Bronze and Iron Age communities. Later, during the Viking and Middle Ages, Gotland became one of wealthiest areas in Europe. Gutnian trade farmers took long journeys for trade between the western and eastern parts of Europe and brought back silver and gold treasure. Still to this day, impressive Viking and Middle Age treasures can be found. “If you happen to encounter an old coin or treasure, leave it be and immediately contact The County Administrative Board,” Kruthof encourages.
When the Vikings became Middle Agers
“It’s difficult to draw a clear line between the Viking Ages and the Middle Ages. Today, we use the delineation as a means of categorisation. Sure, you can say that the progress of Christianity is central, but the people living back then didn’t know they came from a particular Age. Culturally, there are items such as typical Viking jewellery that made it into the 12th century. In simplistic terms, houses were built of timber in the Viking Age and of stone in the Middle Ages.”
Hanseatic cities and hot ports
Until the end of the 14th century, there was a heavily trafficked harbour where Almedalen is today. There were a number of substantial harbours along the Gotland coast which were vital hubs then, just as they are now. During the Middle Ages, Visby was an important Hanseatic city. The Hanseatic League was a confederation of cities that traded successfully in the North Sea and the Baltic from the mid-1100s to the mid-1600s. It was
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“Gute is simply an old word for resident of Gotland.”
