Both specialists and the general public have been excited by the recent progress made in our knowledge and understanding of early medieval towns and economic archaeology by new research approaches and the use of scientific methods. This collection of conference papers contains archaeological and interdisciplinary studies presented by international authorities at a conference in Bad Homburg in 2004. The topics of the papers focus on the structures and economic functions of non-agrarian centres in the East and West, the connections between them, their differences and their development.