Places of Assembly: New Discoveries in Sweden and England

Sanmark, A.; Semple, S.J.

Places of Assembly: New Discoveries in Sweden and England

Sanmark, A.; Semple, S.J.

Authors

A. Sanmark

Professor Sarah Semple s.j.semple@durham.ac.uk
Professor

Abstract

This paper reviews recent field results from Sweden and England demonstrating that currently held perceptions of assembly-sites as archaic and cultic are only partially accurate. Evidence has emerged for the purposeful creation of assembly locations in the fourth to eleventh centuries AD as one of the many processes of kingdom formation. In common with other modes of expression such as burial, the creation of assembly sites was often undertaken by adopting or reusing ancient locations marked by palimpsests of prehistoric remains. However, as evidence from Sweden demonstrates, meeting-places could also be created de novo, and newly monumentalised by the addition of standing stones, inscribed stones and mounds.

Citation

Sanmark, A., & Semple, S. (2008). Places of Assembly: New Discoveries in Sweden and England. Fornvännen, 103(4), 245-259

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Jan 1, 2008
Deposit Date	Aug 6, 2009
Publicly Available Date	Oct 18, 2010
Journal	Fornvännen : tidskrift for Svensk Antikvarisk Forskning.
Print ISSN	0015-7813
Electronic ISSN	1404-9430
Publisher	Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	103
Issue	4
Pages	245-259
Publisher URL	http://fornvannen.se/2000talet/fornvannen_2008.html

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Copyright Statement
Copyright is owned by the author and the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. First published in Fornvännen and also available at the website http://fornvannen.se/2000talet/fornvannen_2008.html