According to this BBC article, archaeologists have found the
probable site of a medieval Thing in
a parking lot in Dingwall , Scotland . You might ask, what is a Thing? “An annual assembly that served as the governing body of Norse society
and at which any freeman could bring their concerns before the chieftain, or
law speaker, for the rule of law. Although women could be heard at a Thing,
they had no vote.” From Glossary of
Norse Terms, The Settlers, An Axe of
Iron Novel.
For those of you interested in such
things - no pun intended – further reading on this subject and the recently
discovered Viking site may be found at: http://www.thingsites.com/thing-site-profiles/dingwall-scotland
(Ed.)
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BBC News, Highlands and the Islands
Location of Norse parliament in Dingwall 'confirmed'
A Fragment
of an iron vessel was found during the excavation
Archaeologists say they have confirmed the location of a meeting place of a medieval Norse parliament.
Called a
"thing", evidence of the mound was uncovered during excavations of
Dingwall's Cromartie Memorial car park. When it was constructed in the 11th
Century, the thing would have been on a man-made islet in the estuary of the
Peffery.
Archaeologists and
historians believe it was built on the instructions of Thorfinn the Mighty.
The powerful Viking earl,
who died in 1065, is thought to have laid the foundations of what would later
become the royal burgh of Dingwall in Ross-shire.
Experts suggest a road,
ditch and an aqueduct, known as the Water of Dyke, that drew water from
hillside springs were also constructed when Thorfinn was in control of
Ross-shire and large parts of the north of Scotland .
A school visit at the dig site in
Cromartie Memorial car park
Thorfinn's rise to power
was aid by his victory in a battle at Torfnes on the south side of the Cromarty
Firth. At the height of his power
he was lord of Caithness , Shetland and Orkney.
Estuarine mud
In Scotland , thing sites can also be found in
Shetland and Orkney. Clues to the location of Dingwall's thing included an 18th
Century plan of the town. OJT Heritage and Dingwall History Society were
involved in excavating parts of Cromartie Memorial car park, which is on a
piece of land known as the Hillyard.
Imported medieval
pottery were also found during the dig
David
MacDonald was commissioned to put together a historical investigative report on
the thing site. In his report, he said: "The excavation revealed that what
had been a large earth mound contained within the Hillyard of Dingwall had been
located within estuarine mud. This confirmed George Brown's plan of 1790
showing the Hillyard as an estuarine islet."
Radio
carbon dating of earth samples indicated that the mound had been constructed in
the estuary of the Peffery around the mid-11th Century. Mr MacDonald added:
"That dating is consistent with the period in which, following his victory
at Torfnes until his death, Earl Thorfinn the Mighty had exercised authority
over Ross. It therefore reasonably can be concluded that the mound had been
constructed on Thorfinn's instructions to be a man-made islet adjacent to the
eastern shore of what historically had been a small peninsula projecting into
the estuary of the Peffery."