Whether ethnic, social, cultural, political, economic or religious — borders are omnipresent in every sphere of life. They mark the peripheries of different entities. From an archaeological perspective, they often comprise a broad border region, one not always made tangible by a physical representation like the Roman līmes or the Berlin Wall. Rather, borders are indirectly present in archaeological material and thus seldom unambiguous. They reflect different groups living alongside and with each other, engaged in continuous exchange. 

Border areas should thus be associated not just with dividing lines, control, defence and conflict, but also always with interaction and the ensuing change, innovation and transformation. This subject area illuminates these aspects across different sources, disciplines and epochs, making use of modern investigative methods from the natural sciences.