Aarhus is one of the oldest and most important Danish towns, but the archaeological sources have so far not been fully analysed. Based on excavations and finds the Aarhus and its periphery the development of the town and its network is analysed from Viking Age to mid-1800. Central is the special urban way of living which makes town dwellers into citizens. The urban communities are in focus as well as their challenges: division between town and countryside, but also social divisions of the towns people, and between newcomers and born and bred citizens.