The symbolism of hoard deposition places in the landscape of the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age in the zone of the South Baltic Coastland and Lake Districts

In different cultures the world is described by a variety of signs and symbols. Equally important as reading their meaning is an attempt to describe the relationships between them. Often seemingly unrelated elements of culture are linked by relations on a symbolic level. Research on the relationship between hoards (late Bronze Age and early Iron Age) and local settlement networks indicate such a symbolic connection between border and metal. Understanding these relationships is possible mainly thanks to empirical research yet it would not be possible without analysing the perception of borders and metal, as well as phenomena such as territoriality and the valorization of ‘foreign’ objects, places and people.