The late Slavonic trading place of Parchim-Löddigsee was completely excavated from 1981 to 1999. This unique research situation enabled the analysis of ca 6.000 small finds not only in a typological, chronological and functional way, but also spatially, chorologically and structurally. The sensational preservation allowed an extraordinary insight into the structure of a so-called “central place” of the 11th/12th century AD, which was characterised by a massive fortification, the presence of an aristocratic class, a long-distance trading net, selective craft and a central sanctuary, as well as a completely differing, subsequent late medieval settlement site.