Abstract

The Gotlandic shore offers unique pathways into understanding organisation and trade within the Baltic Sea during the Late Iron Age and Medieval period. This is due to how it can be studied in several perspectives at once: archaeological, historical and legislative. The many years of excavation and research on Västergarn on the western coast of Gotland have produced novel insights into this matter. We may now begin to understand both Västergarn and the Gotlandic shore at several different scales, although research is far from concluded. Thousands of iron boat rivets unearthed at the site shed light on Västergarn as a place connected to maritime practices. Analyses of Västergarn through various sources present new data and interpretations in a maritime setting. This paper aims to discuss some of these and to present our current understanding of the site. Archaeological data from the period 1050–1250 CE produced in the years 2021–2025 shows that Västergarn was organised and featured a degree of town planning. The town may have been inhabited by people from different geographical regions and with different craft specialities.