| Summary: | The article presents some new ideas about the Roman Iron Age and Migration Period site at Gene in Northern Sweden. The farm is situated in the northernmost fringe of the petty kingdom of Central Norrland. The people who settled at Gene are believed to have played a major role in trade and exchange with coastal groups northwards and inland groups west- and north-westwards. The place names connected to -gene- form a hydronym complex along the River Moälven, all the way up to Lake Vetasjön. At the end of that communication route a cremation grave, without any suprastructure and dated to c. AD 550, has been excavated. It contained high class weapons including a lance, axe, arrowheads, knives and a strike-a-light stone and was located at a site with Sami hearths. The arrow heads may have been forged in the Gene smithy. This type of hydronym complex, with archaeological nodes at each end, is believed also to be found in other smaller river systems north of Gene. Examples of possible similarities are exemplified by the River Åbyälven with its cremation grave from the Viking Age at Njallejaur near Arvidsjaur and the late Medieval site Lappviken upstream on the River Byskeälven. The smaller forest rivers have not been much discussed in earlier research. They were, however, much less exploited by later agriculture, settlement and water plants compared to the larger mountain rivers. Therefore it may be easier to find the fragile traces of early Scandinavian traders at the mouths of the forest rivers.
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