DOI: 10.33547/terra.fertilis10
When history reaches the peripheries. The lower Oder Basin and the third-century crisis in the Roman Empire
by Bartosz Kontny 
in Terra fertilis, terra deserta. Exploitation of marginal zones, edited by M. J. Przybyła, J. Rodzińska-Nowak and M. Wojenka, Neue Studien zur Sachsenforschung 15, Braunschweig – Kraków: Braunschweigische Landesmuseum, Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Profil-Archeo, pp. 151-178.
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Abstract: This paper explores the impact of the third-century crisis of the Roman Empire on peripheral regions, focusing on the lower Oder Basin as a case study. It examines cultural and military transformations in this borderland area, which lay at the intersection of several cultural zones, including the Elbe Germanic, Wielbark, and Przeworsk cultural spheres. Particular attention is given to the role of migrating Germanic groups, especially those associated with the ethnogenesis of the Alamanni, and their contribution to destabilizing the Roman frontier system.
Drawing on archaeological evidence—especially settlement patterns, burial practices, and weapon assemblages—the study identifies significant changes in the region during the Late Roman Period. The analysis demonstrates a decline in settlement density and the emergence of new cultural units, such as the Dębczyno group, replacing earlier populations like the Lubusz group. These transformations are closely linked to broader processes of mobility, depopulation, and cultural reorganization across Central Europe.
A key argument of the paper is that the observed changes in weaponry reflect shifting military models and external influences, particularly from Scandinavia. The adoption of new weapon types and the presence of Scandinavian-style armaments suggest both participation in supra-regional conflicts and possible population movements. Evidence from riverine and lacustrine deposits indicates that the lower Oder region was involved in wider networks of warfare and exchange, contributing to the dynamic reconfiguration of Barbarian societies during this period. In conclusion, the lower Oder Basin, though geographically peripheral, played an active role in the transformations associated with the third-century crisis. Rather than being a passive margin, it functioned as a zone of interaction, mobility, and cultural change, where local developments were closely intertwined with broader historical processes affecting the Roman Empire and the Barbarian world.