Mapping the Barbarian world : outline of the issues

This article discusses the main problems accompanying attempts to map the areas of Barbarian Europe. These problems relate to the difficulties in reconstructing both the ethnic situation and settlement structures prevailing in the territories of Barbaricum. Projects such as Tabula Imperii Romani and Corpus der römischen Funde im europäischen Barbaricum produce maps of all the finds of Roman imports recorded in a given area. In recent years, archaeological research has revealed new sources that allow the complex relationships between Barbaricum and the Roman state to be viewed in a completely new light.