Analysing the mechanisms that led to the formation of early state forms, this book defines the role of gifts, religious belief systems, prestige, and reciprocity within segmentary and chiefdom societies in eastern Europe. Volume I explores the functioning of early medieval cultural phenomena, memory and power. The development in East Central and Northern Europe has long fascinated scholars interested in the cultural implications of the renewed Empire’s influence on these regions. The text provides various scholarly perspectives, with each contribution reflecting a distinct methodological approach, contributing to a multifaceted discourse on how these cultural phenomena were shaped, contested, and remembered in the medieval context. This book provides an interdisciplinary study of medieval material culture and memory across medieval Poland, Hungary, Scandinavia, Bohemia and Rus and is an ideal resource for students.