Between Centre and Periphery: The Small Towns of Pomerelia during the Period of Hanse Domination

Michał Starski

doi:10.1017/eaa.2021.47

Abstract

This article offers an overview of specific aspects of the material culture of Pomerelian minor towns in the late Middle Ages. Although small urban centres in Pomerelia (also known as Gdańsk Pomerania) were located off the main trade routes and in the hinterland of the Hanseatic world, archaeological excavations have revealed numerous remains related to the Hanseatic way of life. The analysis of buildings, pottery, glassware, and metalware reveal the Baltic towns’ participation in urban culture, providing an insight into the status of the smaller towns in relation to the main trade centres of the Baltic Sea.

Highlights

The material culture of the Baltic towns in the heyday of the Hanse in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries has long been of interest to scholars from diverse backgrounds
This review of the material culture from the smaller Pomerelian towns suggests that their living conditions did not differ significantly from those of the major urban centres of the region, at least in terms of household furnishings, everyday objects, elements of clothing, or decorative items
As for the participation of the smaller towns’ communities in the urban culture of the region and the wider Hanseatic culture, the observations made above lend weight to the view that the burghers of the small towns aspired to belong to the urban culture of the German diaspora rather than to identify themselves with the culture of the Hanse

Summary

Introduction

The material culture of the Baltic towns in the heyday of the Hanse in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries has long been of interest to scholars from diverse backgrounds. The cases discussed in here are intended to broaden the ongoing discussion by introducing the smaller towns that complemented the urban and commercial exchange network in the Baltic region and interpreting finds considered as indicators of the so-called Hanseatic or German culture.

Results

Conclusion