Кауп и Кораллен-Берг в финальной стадии эпохи викингов
ENThe settlement of Каир on the territory of the southeast Baltic was founded at the beginning of the 9th century AD. It was established by Vikings and Prussians as a trade and craft point. Trading in amber and animal fur and also the control over the Brokist passage through which vessels could get from the Baltic Sea to the Curonian lagoon were the main employments of inhabitants of Каир. Actually Каир was the first large point on the Neman trading route connecting the Baltic Sea with territory of the Kievan Rus'. In 10-11th centuries AD the borderland Curonians started playing an increasing role in the activities of Каир. At the same time on the Curonian Spit Scandinavians established the settlement of Korallenberg. This settlement was discovered by German researchers at the end of the 19lh century, but its exploration was started only in 21st century by Russian archaeologists. The archaeological excavations performed by V.I. Kulakov and E.A. Tyurin, have identified two stages in the life of the settlement of Korallenberg. It appeared that the Scandinavian settlement was destroyed in the 11th century by Curonians who settled there themselves. The large number of finds made from bone and horn as well as amber crumbs speaks about the existence of workshops in which amber, bone and horn were processed in this settlement. Differently from the settlement of Каир, Korallenberg was a place of trade between Curonians and Prussian tribes. This trade reached its peak in 11-12* centuries; the evidence of this is a large quantity of finds of Curonian manufactures (weapons and jewelry), found in archaeological monuments located both on the coast of Sambian Peninsula and along the Sambian rivers.
