In the shadow of Rome - Roman cultural influence in the Nordic countries

In the 1st millennium AD, the Nordic region was influenced in various ways by the superpower of the time: the Roman Empire. Initially, it was primarily the western parts of the Empire that were important. Over time, however, power shifted eastwards and after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, it was the Byzantine Empire that set the style. It is no exaggeration to say that the encounter between Rome and the peoples of the north was one of the most important cultural encounters in history. Its effects can still be seen today. For the time, the encounter was even more tangible. It took place in both direct and indirect ways. Nordic noblemen and chieftains served in the Roman army and learned to live in a Roman way. They brought news of various kinds with them to the North. The Romans also exported goods to the Nordic countries and many Roman bronze and glass vessels have been found here. The book "In the shadow of Rome - Roman cultural influence in the Nordic countries" tells how Roman objects reached the Nordic countries in the form of diplomatic gifts from the Romans to the Norse. It also shows how the Norse invented their own written language under Roman influence, how their religion and view of their own gods were influenced by the Roman imperial cult, how the Romans' way of naming the days of the week was adopted in the Nordic countries, how the indigenous rulers adopted Roman symbols of rulership, etc. All this shows how permeated the Nordic countries were by Roman influence and how Romanized the Nordic countries were despite being outside the Empire.