Dorestad

The Early-Medieval emporium of Dorestad was located in the south-east of the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands close to the modern day town of Wijk bij Duurstede. The township was established at the base of a Roman fortress in the 7th Century and was situated near the northernmost Northern branch of the Rhine which splits into the Lek and the Kromme Rijn.

The settlement was included in the North-eastern shipping routes due to its proximity to the fork in the Rhine, with access to Germany (via the Lek) and to England, the North of France, the Northern Netherlands, the North of Germany, and Scandinavia (via the Kromme Rijn). Initially, the Franks and the Frisians fought for control of the territory. However, the Franks quickly gained control of the Frisian Coast.

Dorestad flourished between the 7th Century and the middle of the 9th Century. The settlement was well known for minting coins under the control of several Frankish rulers. It is generally believed that the township reached its peak around the 820s – 830s and declined considerably thereafter. It is thought that the decline occurred due to Viking invasions as well as a decline in the economy. By the 9th Century, it seems that the need for international trade was waning as regional trade gained importance. The majority of the information known about the emporium comes from a combination of historical documents, archaeological finds and numismatic evidence.