Table of Contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................. 3 1. Introduction....................................................................................................... 4 2. State of Research .............................................................................................. 7 3. Viking Age Halls ............................................................................................ 21 Signs of Ritual ................................................................................................ 21 Feasts .......................................................................................................... 22 Blood Sacrifices .......................................................................................... 24 Building Offerings ...................................................................................... 25 Signs of Other Ritual .................................................................................. 26 Excavated Viking Age Halls in Iceland .......................................................... 27 Skallakot in Þjórsárdalur............................................................................. 28 Snjáleifartóttir in Þjórsárdalur .................................................................... 29 Ísleifsstaðir in Borgarfjörður ...................................................................... 30 Klaufanes in Svarfaðardalur ....................................................................... 32 Bær by Gjáskógar in Þjórsárdalur............................................................... 33 Hvítárholt in Hrunamannahreppur .............................................................. 34 Sámsstaðir in Þjórsárdalur .......................................................................... 35 Herjólfsdalur in Vestmannaeyjar ................................................................ 35 Grelutóttir in Arnarfjörður .......................................................................... 36 Granastaðir in Eyjafjarðardalur .................................................................. 38 Hofstaðir in Mývatnssveit........................................................................... 39 Hrísbrú í Mosfellsdalur ............................................................................... 40 Hólmur in Laxárdalur ................................................................................. 42
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Eiríksstaðir in Haukadalur .......................................................................... 43 Aðalstræti 14-18 in Reykjavík .................................................................... 43 Sveigakot in Mývatnssveit .......................................................................... 44 Vatnsfjörður by Ísafjarðardjúp ................................................................... 45 Vogur in Hafnir........................................................................................... 46 4. Remnants of Ritual ......................................................................................... 48 Signs of Feasting............................................................................................. 49 Signs of Blood Sacrifice ................................................................................. 53 Signs of Building Offerings ............................................................................ 54 Foundation and Alteration Deposits ........................................................... 55 Abandonment Deposits ............................................................................... 59 Other Signs of Ritual ...................................................................................... 60 Dating Rituals ................................................................................................. 63 5. Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 66 Bibliography ....................................................................................................... 69 List of Figures ..................................................................................................... 77 List of Tables ...................................................................................................... 77
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