The origins of early urban European centers have been the subject of
continuous debate for a long time. This discussion results partly from
the complexity of research questions, but also because the appearance of
early towns is very complex to analyze and mostly depends on regional
traditions. For this reason no one model can adequately describe early
European urbanization. The papers presented in this volume do not
pretend to resolve problems of roots of early towns, but the combination
of papers highlights different approaches and aspects of the story. They
represent an important contribution to the debate and are intended as
the basis for further discussion and analysis.