Viking Law and Order
Places and Rituals of Assembly in the Medieval North
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:27th Feb '19
Should be back in stock very soon
Until very recently Viking and Norse assembly sites were essentially unknown, apart from a few select sites, such as Thingvellir in Iceland. The Vikings are well-known for their violence and pillage, but they also had a well-organised system for political decision-making, legal cases and conflict resolution. Using archaeological evidence, written sources and place-names, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of their legal system and assembly sites, showing that this formed an integral part of Norse culture and identity, to the extent that the assembly institution was brought to all Norse settlements. Sites are analysed through surveys and case studies across Scandinavia, Scotland and the North Atlantic region. The author moves the view of assembly sites away from a functional one to an understanding of the symbolic meaning of these highly ritualised sites, and shows how they were constructed to signify power through monuments and natural features. This original and stimulating study is set not only in the context of the Viking and Norse periods, but also in the wider continental histories of place, assembly and the rhetoric of power.
This is an impressive work of true scholarship, multidisciplinary in its handling of archaeological, geographical, linguistic and much later written material, and representing a real advance in academic understanding. -- Howard B. Clarke * Early Medieval Europe *
Sanmark is establishing a new paradigm on the Norse thing-system, wherein she paves a new way for an understanding of the sagas as necessary historical accounts. -- Torgrim Titlestad * Northern Scotland *
This is a study which has been long needed, and it fills a big gap in our bibliographies of the Viking Age and of Norse culture… an excellent book on the thing sites of Scandinavia and the role of the assemblies in the lives of medieval communities. -- Barbara Crawford, University of St Andrews * Northern Studies *
A useful addition to any Viking library. -- Stephen Harrison * Scottish Archaeological Journal *
Diligently researched and well-written…Sanmark examines diverse examples of assembly sites, blending the discussion of archaeological data with that of textual evidence and place names; this is all supported by numerous informative, high-quality maps and photographs…highly recommended as a thought-provoking and valuable addition to any early medievalist’s bookshelf. -- Ben Raffield, Uppsala University * The Society for Medieval Archaeology *
Diligently researched and well-written…Sanmark examines diverse examples of assembly sites, blending the discussion of archaeological data with that of textual evidence and place names; this is all supported by numerous informative, high-quality maps and photographs…highly recommended as a thought-provoking and valuable addition to any early medievalist’s bookshelf. -- Ben Raffield, Uppsala University * The Society for Medieval Archaeology *
ISBN: 9781474445757
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
320 pages