Centralisation of Power: Christianity and Urbanisation

This chapter builds further on the idea of the constantly shifting and evolving thing site, examining in detail the modifications that took place in assembly site location and features from the late tenth and eleventh centuries until the end of the Middle Ages in Scandinavia. Alterations in the tenth and eleventh centuries are most clearly seen in the rune-stone rich areas of the Mälaren region of Sweden and most of the evidence presented here relating to this time period is therefore from this area. The changes observed at this time can, however, be expected in other geographical areas too, bearing in mind the major societal shifts, such as urbanisation and Christianisation, that seem to have been driving them forward. Further changes in the following centuries, connected with to building of parish churches and cathedrals as well as urbanisation, are also investigated. The most striking pattern to emerge in the late Middle Ages is the gradual merging of top-level assemblies, trade and episcopal sees in the towns.

Elite Rituals at Scandinavian Assemblies

This chapter builds on the evidence of thing sites as elite foci in the landscape. Previous chapters have shown that the elite strived for the ‘right’ site architecture and competed with rivals through the design of their thing sites. The assembly features were not only symbolic, but also played important roles in the various assembly site rituals. The majority of these rituals seem to have been elite-driven and modifications to the sites can therefore be seen as reflections of societal change, for example in terms of ruler ship and religion. In this chapter, the identified assembly site features will be investigated in terms of their meaning and function in elite rituals carried out at these sites. The differing roles and experiences of the thing participants and the attendees add to the multi-layered nature of the assembly gatherings The assembly rituals can be defined as ‘commemorative’, which entail performances, that is evocation and declarations of key components of ritual narratives, but also bodily movements, such as gestures, postures and motion. In addition, dramatic spectacle tends to be employed to strengthen memory creation.

The Norse in the North Atlantic: Iceland, Faroe Islands and Greenland

Chapter 7 moves to the North Atlantic to the regions settled by the Norse people, starting with Iceland, the Faroes and Greenland. By close examination of thing sites and their features in these areas, it becomes clear that the overall concept behind these sites was the same as in Scandinavia and variations of the same rituals and activities seem to have taken place. The assembly site features, were, however, different in two important aspects; assembly booths were constructed and there is no coincidence between burials and assemblies. As these areas were substantially unpopulated prior to the Norse arrival, there were no monuments to reuse and no need to link back to past rulers. Instead, above all through the assembly booths, the assembly-sites connect to the recent past and current political patterns.

Assembly Sites in Scandinavia: Activities and Rituals of the Community

Chapter 5 shifts the focus to the rituals and activities of the wider community in Scandinavia. At thing sites a wide range of community activities and rituals, which most likely and created collective memories and strengthened social cohesion, were enacted. Many of these activities may have been designed by the elite, but equally the idea of assemblies as communal spaces may have been collectively driven. The archaeological signature of meeting-places and assembly-sites suggests associations with feasting and eating on a large-scale, and architectural layouts that emphasised the collective over the individual and facilitated group interaction and cohesion. The construction, enlargement and maintenance of monuments and other features required the participation of large numbers of people. By joining in this work the population gained shared ownership of the sites. This was further enhanced by communal activities during the meetings, which also involved games and sports, as well as trade. Assemblies therefore formed arenas of interplay between the top-elite and the wider population; kings were elected and ruled through the assembly, while at the same time continuously dependent on the endorsement of the people.

Assembly Research: Past and Present

This chapter sets out the aims of the book and examines the three main themes of landscape, time and memory and how they relate to Norse assembly sites. The importance of the recent developments in landscape archaeology as well as earlier thing site research for the results of this study is explained. Based on this work, a new interdisciplinary research methodology, drawingon archaeological evidence, written sources and place-names, has been developed.Through this approach, the meaning and use of thingsites across the Norse world is explored. This book therefore moves beyond assembly site descriptions and analyses and also investigates the activities enacted at the assemblies, and how these were experienced by the people gathered. Other significant themes includeexplanations of chronology and the terminology used.

The Norse in Scotland: Assembly and New Ancestors

This chapter examines the evidence of Norse administrative structures and thing sites in Norse Scotland. This area, unlike Iceland, Greenland and the Faroes, had been populated since the Mesolithic period, and the Norse therefore interacted with existing populations. In this area, the Norse expressed themselves just as in Scandinavia, through the appropriation of monuments, above all large mounds. The other assembly site features are similar to those found in the other Norse settlements as well as Scandinavia, although some influence from the Picts and Gaels of Scotland is seen.The nature of the evidence of law and assembly varies across Norse Scotland, partly as a result of the different political situations. The most detailed evidence relates to Orkney and Shetland, where Norse rule lasted the longest.

Introducing the Assembly Sites of Scandinavia

Chapter 3 represents the starting point for the assembly site investigations by examining the layout and design of some of the most important thing sites across Scandinavia. It is demonstrated that these major assembly sites had many features and traits in common, albeit in ever-shifting patterns. When a thing site was first created, the location was carefully selected, as it needed to have the right topography, and often pre-existing anthropogenic features, such as burials. For the continued creation, or redesign of an existing assembly, a pool of features was available, from which a selection were added and presented in varying combinations. By bringing together archaeology, written sources and place-names, it is possible to characterise a range of features associated with assembly sites. This clearly demonstrates the most important result of this study: that a shared idea of what constituted an assembly site existed in the minds of the Norse. The detailed site investigations also show that the assemblies that were designated as top-level sites have the most striking monuments and design. The archaeology of these sites therefore reflects the hierarchy spelt out in the written sources.

Assemblies in the Longue Durée

In chapter 9, it is again shown that the Norse thing organisation was neither new nor unique, but situated within a Germanic tradition of law and assembly, which can be traced back to the first century AD; thus long predating the earliest Frankish laws. This chapter also demonstrates that outdoor thing sites seem to have been the norm until the late sixteenth or the seventeenth century. Occasional indoor meetings are known in earlier times, but it was not until the early modern period that specific buildings were designated, and at times created specifically, for these gatherings. Finally, the reasons why some assembly sites remained in use for many hundred years, while others were used only for very short periods of time, are examined, as well as the links between assembly sites and central places, and the legacy of the major thing sites on the administrative landscape of today.

Early Germanic and Norse Assembly Organisations

Chapter 2 examines the function of assemblies in Vikingage society and provides a detailed analysis of the assembly institution in Scandinavia and how this fitted into earlier Germanic assembly systems in Mainland Europe. This is important as the thing organisation is at times seen as an isolated phenomenon related to Norse society only. It is shown that many of the traits present in Vikingage society are found in early medieval sources from Frankia and Saxony. This chapter also investigates which groups in society could actively participate in assembly-meetings, demonstrating that the elite was the most influential. The traditional male-female binary division of ‘included’ men and ‘excluded’ women is, moreover, shown to be invalid.