| dc.description.abstract | The paper compares and contrasts Kaupang and Dublin as two early Viking Age towns. While the importance of Kaupang as a permanent settlement and active trading partner throughout the Scandinavian trade network has only just begun to be understood, Dublin has primarily been understood as an Irish town founded by Scandinavians instead of as a Scandinavian town that gradually became an Irish city. Through the application of central place and network theory, I posit that both served as major nodal points within a well-connected intra- and inter-regional long-distance Scandinavian trade network. Using archaeological field reports, contemporary primary source material, and secondary interpretation, I will examine the two sites side-by-side in order to discuss the key aspects of each town, including chronological history, the physical layouts of the sites and the buildings that were present, the monetary systems in place, the nature of their imports and exports, and the different peoples who inhabited them. In this way, I will reach my conclusion as to why Kaupang failed and Dublin survived. | eng |