The roots of Scandinavian kingship stretch far deeper into history than the Viking Age, and Professor Dagfinn Skre’s new book, The Northern Routes to Kingship: A History of Scandinavia AD 180–550, sheds light on the formative centuries that laid the groundwork for later political structures. Challenging long-held assumptions that early Scandinavian rulers emerged in isolation, Skre argues that their authority was shaped by sustained interaction with the Roman Empire. His research, grounded in archaeology, history, and numismatics, reconstructs a world where wealth, prestige, and governance were profoundly influenced by Rome’s presence in Northern Europe.