Uppåkra is a unique Iron Age site. It is Sweden's largest settlement from the period and has existed for about 1000 years. In Uppåkra, an enormous amount of finds have been found and with great variety. These include outstanding exclusive finds of precious metal, glass and other materials. The finds are partly made on the site but also come from the surrounding area, neighboring regions and the continent. The site has been a political and religious center of the highest order. It was the residence of a chieftain or king. Why does this site emerge in the century before Christ and how did it persist throughout the turbulent Iron Age? These are the questions I will try to answer. I will do so by studying Iron Age settlements in the vicinity of Uppåkra. The people on these farms and villages should have been influenced and interacted economically and socially with the rulers of Uppåkra. My thesis is that these farms are an important part of the background to the existence of Uppåkra.