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The Case of the Greenlandic Assembly Sites

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The Case of the Greenlandic Assembly Sites 178 Norse Greenland: SelectedJournal Papers of the from North the Atlantic Hvalsey Conference 2008 Special Volume 2 2010 Journal of the North Atlantic Special Volume 2:178–192 The Case of the Greenlandic Assembly Sites Alexandra Sanmark* Abstract - In the early 20th century, scholars identifi ed two possible Greenlandic assembly sites at Brattahlíð and Garðar, respectively. Later scholars, with one exception, have neither refuted nor corroborated this, and research on this topic has therefore not signifi cantly moved forward in the last 100 years. In this article, the two proposed assembly sites are examined in the light of recent research. It is demonstrated that there are striking similarities between the Greenlandic and Scan- dinavian and Icelandic assembly sites, which strongly support the identifi cation of the former as assembly sites. Further archaeological fi eldwork is, however, needed in order to clarify the issues raised in this paper as well as providing new evidence, particularly for dating. Introduction not known how soon after colonization they were es- In the early 20th century, two “booth” sites in tablished. It would, however, be incorrect to assume Greenland were identifi ed, one at Brattahlíð (Qas- that if there were no assembly sites, there were no siarsuk) and another at Garðar (Igaliku), which, after thing meetings. Written sources show that meetings some debate, were accepted by leading scholars as did not have to take place at an established assembly the remains of thing (assembly) sites (Clemmensen site, but could legally be held at a variety of places, 1911, Nørlund 1929, Nørlund and Stenberger 1934). such as in churches, fully manned ships, or ale Later scholars, with the exception of H.C. Gulløv houses (Sanmark 2006, 2009). Moreover, meetings (2008), have avoided discussing the function of do not necessarily have to leave traces of any kind, these sites, and, as a result, the early reports have or be manifested in the landscape. It has been noted not been properly evaluated. The existence of a that for village meetings in Gambia, chairs placed in thing organization is inferred by a letter dated 1389 a circle formed the site (Þorgeirsson 2009). When the mentioning an alþing (general assembly) in Green- meeting was fi nished the chairs were removed and land, although without further specifi cation (Barnes any lasting traces of the site were gone. 1974:383, Huitfeldt-Kaas et al. 1919:29–31, Seaver In general, there has been very little research 1996:62). There are also written references to thing on Norse assembly sites in terms of their location, sites and thing-related activities at both Brattahlíð features, and characteristics. Existing publications and Garðar. contain some information on the major assembly The presence of thing organizations across the sites, such as Þingvellir (Iceland) or the Gulathing Scandinavian homelands as well as in the Norse col- (Norway) (Campbell 1980, Campbell and Kidd onies demonstrates their signifi cance to Norse soci- 1980:69, Foote and Wilson 1970:91–92, Roesdahl ety. Medieval sources from Iceland and Scandinavia 1998:268). Thing sites lower down in the hierarchy show a well-organized administrative system, where have, however, rarely been mentioned (see however each district had its own assembly, although the Brink 2004a, b; Friðriksson 1994; Larsson 1997, nature of this system varied slightly between areas. 1998). Norse assemblies were fi rst studied more Thing sites have been identifi ed in the Viking settle- than 100 years ago, mainly on the basis of medieval ments of the Orkney Islands1, the Shetland Islands2, written sources and place-name evidence. Schol- the Faeroe Islands3, Iceland4, the Hebrides5, the Isle ars in Sweden and Norway produced lists of local of Man6, Ireland7, mainland Scotland8, and England.9 meeting sites for various districts, although at this Naturally, not all of these sites have been identifi ed in time, very few sites were identifi ed in the landscape the landscape, but by place-name evidence only.10 (e.g., Ahlberg 1946, Bugge 1920, Wildte 1931). In If the thing system had not fulfi lled its role, or Iceland, on the other hand, a number of sites were was unpopular, the settlers would not have repro- identifi ed from saga evidence, and a certain amount duced it in their new homelands. Anthropological of typological analyses of assemblies was carried evidence makes it clear that assemblies are important out, but very little further interpretation occurred tools for confl ict resolution, the everyday function- (Friðriksson 1994:105–145). More recently, with the ing of society, and the long-term prevention of feuds breakthrough of landscape archaeology, a renewed and warfare, and they therefore tend to be present in interest in thing sites has emerged, most notably all societies (Moore 2005). Crucially, however, there regarding Sweden (Brink 2004a, b; Larsson 1997, is no secure dating evidence for any of the identifi ed 1998) and Iceland (Friðriksson 1994; A. Whitmore, thing sites in the settlement areas, and it is therefore Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK, unpubl. *Centre for Nordic Studies, UHI Millennium Institute, Kirkwall, Orkney KW15 1QX; [email protected]. ac.uk. 2010 A. Sanmark 179 data). However, with the exception of Iceland, pub- We should not therefore envisage a uniform model lications still focused on a small number of sites, of assembly sites across the areas of Norse settle- usually the ones that are most easily identifi able on ment and a case against such a model on a northwest the ground. European scale has indeed been presented (Sanmark The overriding problem in the fi eld of assembly 2009; Sanmark and Semple 2008b, 2010). What can studies is the diffi culty of pinpointing the sites. This be expected, however, is that sites located within the issue has been addressed by my own work on district same region, as demonstrated for Iceland and parts of meeting-places in the county of Södermanland in Sweden, share a larger number of traits (Friðriksson Sweden, suggesting that thing sites can be securely 1994; Sanmark 2009; Sanmark and Semple 2008b, identifi ed, with varying degrees of accuracy, by 2010) than do sites from entirely different regions. combining archaeological evidence, written sources An overarching study of assembly sites across the (medieval and early modern), rune stones, and topo- areas of Norse settlement in the west is currently graphical analysis (Sanmark 2009). The problem of underway and will provide a thorough review of this locating assembly sites on the ground was exacerbat- issue.11 The list below contains features previously ed by the lack of a methodology for archaeological linked to assembly sites, which have also been re- investigation. A program of excavation was started corded at the Greenlandic booth sites. in Iceland in 2002, and a number of sites have been Written evidence investigated there, providing valuable insights, par- Presence of “thing booths” ticularly into the construction of “thing booths” (see, Presence of hearths e.g., Friðriksson 1994:104–145, 2004; Friðriksson et Closeness to harbours/water routes al. 2005a, 2005b, 2007). Since 2004, Sarah Semple Closeness to fresh water and I have developed and implemented a method for Delimitation from settlements fi eld investigation of assembly sites, involving full- scale geophysical and topographical surveys and Thing booths targeted trial-trenching, with successful results from So far, these temporary turf structures have only sites in Sweden and England (Sanmark and Semple been recorded in Iceland. These booths are where 2008a, 2008b, 2010; Sanmark et al., in press). Using the participants stayed during the meetings of both these results, it is now time to revisit and re-examine the district assemblies and the alþing at Þingvellir the Greenlandic administrative organization and the (Friðriksson 1994:106, Fig. 4.1.). One reason why proposed assembly sites. the booths were needed was presumably that partici- pants had far to travel to the sites, as the thing dis- tricts appear to have been rather large (Friðriksson The “Booth Sites” at Brattahlíð and Garðar 1994:106, Fig. 4.1.). This should be contrasted to the The two potential assembly sites at Brattahlíð in situation in Viking/early medieval Sweden, where Eiríksfjörður and Garðar in Einarsfjörður have been no booths or other temporary structures are known identifi ed through a combination of written and ar- from assemblies. Here, administrative districts were chaeological evidence (Clemmensen 1911, Nørlund rather small, and most settlements seem to have been 1929, Nørlund and Stenberger 1934). Both sites are located less than a day’s walk, or a few hours by located in the Eastern Settlement, and it is possible horse, from the thing sites (Sanmark 2009). The only that there were other Greenlandic thing sites as Scandinavian parallel to the booths is the structures well, perhaps most likely at the high-status farm of used for temporary occupation at the Norwegian Herjólfsnes (Ikigaat) in the southernmost area of the Iron Age “courtyard sites” (tunanlegg), which since Eastern Settlement, and somewhere in the Western 2005 have been interpreted as thing sites (Olsen 12 Settlement. 2005, Storli 2006). The Brattahlíð and Garðar sites share a number Overall, the Greenlandic evidence suggests that of characteristics that together support the identifi ca- booths would also have been needed for thing meet- tion of these as assemblies. The characteristics have ings there. Firstly, the thing districts in Greenland been identifi ed through the study of assembly sites were presumably rather large, in the same way that in the Scandinavian homelands and Iceland (Brink the parishes in the Eastern Settlement seem to have 2004a, b; Friðriksson 1994; Larsson 1998; San- been signifi cantly larger than parishes in even the mark 2009; Sanmark and Semple 2008b, 2010; A. most sparsely populated areas of Iceland (Vésteins- Whitmore, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK, son 2010:145–48).
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