The Roman connection

Jewellery was manufactured at many of the farms at the Gudme settlement. Bronze, silver and gold had to be imported from the Continent. This often took the form of coins or metal scraps, such as cut-up silver dishes and bronze vessels, and even chopped-up statues. The metal originated from the Roman Empire, but we can only guess how it ended up at Gudme. In the 4th to 5th centuries AD the Roman Empire’s boundaries were under pressure. Amongst other things, the Romans sought to stem Germanic immigration by paying large sums to the attacking armies. Some of the metals ended up at Gudme, where they were melted down and formed into coveted objects in a Scandinavian style.