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69-510: Birka listen ( Birca in medieval sources), on the island of Björkö (lit. "Birch Island") in present-day Sweden , was an important Viking Age trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as many parts of Continental Europe and the Orient. Björkö is located in Lake Mälaren , 30 kilometers west of contemporary Stockholm , in the municipality of Ekerö . Birka

138-635: A Geatish port town and had gathered many details about it. Birka is the main Geatish town ( oppidum Gothorum), situated in the middle of Sweden (Suevoniae), not far (non longe) from the temple called Uppsala (Ubsola) which the Swedes (Sueones) held in the highest esteem when it comes to the worship of the gods; here forms an inlet of the Baltic or the Barbaric Sea a port facing north which welcomes all

207-614: A Latin Church metropolitan archbishop, while those of the head of an autonomous ( sui iuris ) Eastern Catholic Churches are indicated in canon 157 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches . All Catholic metropolitans are archbishops, but not all archbishops are metropolitans, though most are. As well as the much more numerous metropolitan sees, there are 77 Catholic sees that have archiepiscopal rank. In some cases, such

276-576: A choir , a nave , and a tower. During services , three large gates are opened to allow for an open-air sermon. The chapel is richly adorned with paintings and sculptures by several well-known Swedish artists. Today, large parts of the northern island have been bought by the Swedish government in order to protect the remains. The area is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board ( Riksantikvarieämbetet ), which

345-681: A galero with ten tassels on each side of his coat of arms , while a bishop has only six. The archiepiscopal cross behind the shield has two bars instead of one. Such a cross may be borne before him in liturgical processions. In processions and other occasions where strict protocol is observed, archbishops are ranked higher than diocesan bishops in the order of precedence . In the Anglican Communion , archbishops are styled "The Most Reverend" and addressed as "Your Grace", while bishops are styled "The Right Reverend" and addressed as "My Lord" or "Your Lordship". (In some countries, this usage

414-622: A titular archbishopric . In others, such as the Lutheran Church of Sweden , the title is only borne by the leader of the denomination. The word archbishop ( / ˌ ɑːr tʃ ˈ b ɪ ʃ ə p / ) comes via the Latin archiepiscopus . This in turn comes from the Greek αρχιεπίσκοπος , which has as components the etymons αρχι -, meaning 'chief', επί , 'over', and σκοπός , 'guardian, watcher'. The earliest appearance of neither

483-456: A church was built there, and there are many Christians there who worship Christ" (Chapter XIX) Danes attacked Birka, accompanied with the deposed king Anund , which caused great distress in the town. Being in great difficulty they fled to a neighbouring city (ad civitatem, quæ iuxta erat, confugerunt) and began to promise and offer to their gods—But inasmuch as the city was not strong and there were few to offer resistance, they sent messengers to

552-470: A favour and that the emperor would send them suitable preachers. (Chapter IX) Ansgar then undertook the mission committed to him by the emperor, who desired that he should go to the Swedes and discover whether this people was prepared to accept the faith as their messengers had declared. (Chapter X) Ansgar was already experienced in the missionary work in Denmark , and set forth to Sweden. Rimbert describes

621-515: A metropolitan. The Oriental Orthodox custom generally agrees with the Slavic rather than the Greek with respect to the archbishop/metropolitan distinction. Instead of the term archbishop , Eastern Catholic Churches sometimes use the word archeparch by analogy with eparch , the term used for a diocesan (or eparchial) bishop. However, the word archeparch is not found in the Code of Canons of

690-457: A nearby fortress. Eventually Danes left, sparing Birka from destruction. When Ansgar asked if King Olof would permit him to establish the Christian religion in the kingdom during his second visit in 852, the king said to him: On this account I have not the power, nor do I dare, to approve the objects of your mission until I can consult our gods by the casting of lots and until I can enquire

759-465: A see is the only one in a country, such as Luxembourg or Monaco , too small to be divided into several dioceses so as to form an ecclesiastical province. In others, the title of archdiocese is for historical reasons attributed to a see that was once of greater importance. Some of these archdioceses are suffragans of a metropolitan archdiocese; examples are the Archdiocese of Avignon , which

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828-424: A serious decline at roughly the same date. In Vita Ansgari ("The life of Ansgar") monk and later archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen Rimbert gives the first known description of Birka. The town was the center of Catholic missionary activities in the 9th century Sweden. Rimbert's interests were in the Christian faith, not so much in the Swedish geopolicy, so his descriptions of Birka remain approximate at best. This

897-407: A temporary Bronze Age settlement (1800-500 BC), by people who visited the island for seasonal hunting and fishing. The first permanent settlement dates back to the late Germanic Iron Age (400-800 AD). A small burial ground containing some 15 graves on the north-eastern part of the island known as Ormknös is possibly the remains of a small settlement pre-dating Birka by less than a century. It

966-615: Is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Marseille , and the Archdiocese of Trnava , Slovakia . Others are immediately subject to the Holy See and not to any metropolitan archdiocese. These are usually "aggregated" to an ecclesiastical province. An example is the Archdiocese of Hobart in Australia , associated with the Metropolitan ecclesiastical province of Melbourne , but not part of it. The ordinary of such an archdiocese

1035-620: Is also documented. Foreign goods found from the graves of Birka include glass and metalware, pottery from the Rhineland , clothing and textiles including Chinese silk , Byzantine embroidery with extremely fine gold thread, brocades with gold passementerie , and plaited cords of high quality. From the ninth century onwards coins minted at Haithabu in Northern Germany and elsewhere in Scandinavia start to appear. However,

1104-427: Is always carried before him by a priest-chaplain, and (like other archbishops) is a two-barred processional cross. However, the archbishop of Canterbury is also entitled to be preceded by the ancient primatial cross of Canterbury (still in ceremonial use) which is of an ornate historical design, made of precious metal, and with precious stones inserted, but unlike his metropolitical cross (or those of other archbishops) it

1173-411: Is an archbishop. In the Anglican Communion , non-metropolitan archiepiscopal sees are much less common. The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem , established in 1841, was raised to the status of a non-metropolitan archiepiscopal see in 1957, but reduced to the status of an ordinary bishopric again in 1976. In 2014 it was again elevated to the status of non-metropolitan archbishopric, with its ordinary bearing

1242-584: Is attempting to conserve and restore the landscape. 59°19′29.422″N 17°33′35.906″E  /  59.32483944°N 17.55997389°E  / 59.32483944; 17.55997389 Archbishop In Christian denominations , an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church , there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdiocese ( with some exceptions ), or are otherwise granted

1311-480: Is followed also by the Roman Catholic Church, but in others no distinction is made and "The Most Reverend" and "Your Excellency" are used for archbishops and bishops alike.) Anglican archbishops are entitled to be preceded by a server carrying an archiepiscopal processional cross (with two bars instead of one) in liturgical processions. The archbishop of Canterbury 's metropolitical processional cross

1380-599: Is how it all started in 829: Meanwhile it happened that Swedish ambassadors had come to the Emperor Louis the Pious , and, amongst other matters which they had been ordered to bring to the attention of the emperor, they informed him that there were many belonging to their nation who desired to embrace the Christian religion, and that their king so far favoured this suggestion that he would permit God's priests to reside there, provided that they might be deemed worthy of such

1449-431: Is no difference between the official dress of archbishops, as such, and that of other bishops, Roman Catholic metropolitan archbishops are distinguished by the use in liturgical ceremonies of the pallium , but only within the province over which they have oversight. Roman Catholic bishops and archbishops are styled "The Most Reverend" and addressed as "Your Excellency" in most cases. In English-speaking countries (except

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1518-985: Is not double-barred. Archbishops exist in all traditional denominations of the Eastern Christianity , including the Eastern Orthodox Church , the Oriental Orthodox Churches , Church of the East and the Eastern Catholic Churches In the Eastern Orthodox churches, the office and title of archbishop can be traced from the 4th and 5th century. Historically, the title was used variously, in terms of rank and jurisdiction. In some Eastern Orthodox churches, archbishops are ranked above metropolitans in precedence , while in others that order

1587-488: Is possible the burial ground belonged to the village on the island, Björkö by , together with two other burial grounds: Grindbacken , north of the village with 25 graves, and Kärrbacka , south of the village with 45 graves. The latter of these sites contains coffins and thus indicates the village coexisted with Birka, survived it, and continues to exist. There were nine farmyards in the village until around 1900, when four of them had to move, and three remain today. Most of

1656-550: Is reversed. Primates of autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches below patriarchal rank are generally designated as archbishops. In the Greek Orthodox Church , archbishops are ranked above metropolitans in precedence . The reverse is true for some Slavic Orthodox churches ( Russian Orthodox , Bulgarian Orthodox ) and also for Romanian Orthodox Church , where metropolitans rank above archbishops. In terms of jurisdiction, there are two basic types of archbishops in

1725-937: The Abbasid Caliphate . Birka is the site of the first known Christian congregation in Sweden, founded in 831 by Saint Ansgar . As a trading center, Birka most likely offered furs , iron goods, and craft products, in exchange for various materials from much of Europe and Western Asia. Furs were obtained from the Sami people, the Finns , and people in Northwestern Russia, as well as from local trappers. Furs included bear , fox , marten , otter , beaver , and other species. Reindeer antlers and objects carved from reindeer antlers like combs were important items of trade. The trade of walrus tusks, amber , and honey

1794-510: The Patriarchate of Constantinople , honorary archiepiscopal titles were also granted to those diocesan bishops who were exempt from jurisdictions of local metropolitans, and transferred to the direct jurisdiction of the patriarchal throne. Such titular hierarchs were contentiously styled as " autocephalous archbishops " (self-headed, just in terms of not having a metropolitan, but without connotations to real autocephaly ). For example, until

1863-896: The Serbian Orthodox Church , both types were represented: the head of the autonomous Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric is styled Archbishop of Ohrid and invested with regional jurisdiction over all diocesan bishops in North Macedonia , while former diocesan bishop (late Amfilohije Radović ) of the Eparchy of Montenegro and the Littoral , with seat in Cetinje , was personally given only the honorary title Archbishop of Cetinje , but without any jurisdiction over other diocesan bishops in Montenegro . Historically, within

1932-431: The hill fort at Borgberget . In the water adjacent to Birka are the remains of poles believed to have served as a naval defense line. Around the earthwork three large burial grounds belonging to Birka have been found. The north-easternmost and largest is Hemlanden with some 1,600 graves; south of Birka are two smaller burial grounds: Borgs hage with 250 graves and Kvarnbacka with 185 graves. Approximately 1,100 of

2001-478: The 2,000 Birka graves have been excavated. The archaeological finds from the excavations are held by Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm . In 1834, a thousand years after Ansgar visited the island, the so-called "Ansgar Cross" was erected at Borgberget , and a hundred years later the "Ansgar Chapel" was built just east of the village. The small chapel was constructed using sandstone and has

2070-489: The Björkö settlement are the same location. Many other locations have been suggested through the years. However, Björkö is the only location that shows remains of a town of Birka's significance, which is why the vast majority of scholars regard Björkö as the location of Birka. Birka was abandoned during the latter half of the 10th century. Based on the dating of the coins, the city seems to have died out around 960. Roughly around

2139-582: The Danes and asked for friendship and alliance. —Hergeir, the faithful servant of the Lord, was angry with them and said, "They will lead away your wives and sons as captives, they will burn our city (urbs) and town (vicus)" and will destroy you with the sword (Chapter XIX) As the neighbouring "city" is not mentioned in any other context than during the Danish attack as a place where people took refuge, it probably meant

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2208-530: The Eastern Orthodox Church: real archbishops and honorary archbishops. Real archbishops are primates of autocephalous or autonomous (regional) churches, and they have actual jurisdiction over other bishops, while honorary archbishops are in fact just diocesan bishops with honorary titles of archbishops and no jurisdiction outside their own diocese. The honorary title is usually conferred to bishops of historically important sees . For example, in

2277-598: The Hamburg Church) by Adam of Bremen in 1075 describes the Archbishop Unni, who died at Birka in 936. Saint Ansgar's work was the first attempt to convert the people of Birka from the Norse religion to Christianity. It was unsuccessful. Both Rimbert and Adam were German clergymen writing in Latin . There are no known Norse sources mentioning the name of the settlement, or even the settlement itself, and

2346-427: The Swedes. (IV 17) Adam also had travel instructions from Skåne to Sigtuna : From Skåne (Sconia) of the Danes one reaches Sigtuna (Sictonam) or Birka after five days at sea, for they are indeed alike. But by land from Skåne across the Geatish people (Gothorum populos) and cities Skara (Scaranem), Telgas and Birka, one reaches Sigtuna only after a full month. (IV 28) Bj%C3%B6rk%C3%B6, Eker%C3%B6 The oldest of

2415-630: The United States), a Catholic archbishop is addressed as "Your Grace", while a Catholic bishop is addressed as "Your Lordship". Before December 12, 1930, the title "Most Reverend" was only for archbishops, while bishops were styled as "Right Reverend". This practice is still followed by Catholic bishops in the United Kingdom to mirror that of the Church of England . In Roman Catholic heraldry , an archbishop has an ecclesiastical hat called

2484-504: The alternative of going around them as well, meaning that the seas were probably the numerous lakes in southern Sweden. When Ansgar again travelled to Birka from Germany about 852, it went easier: Ansgar accomplished the journey on which he had set out, and after spending nearly twenty days in a ship, he arrived at Birka (Chapter XXVI) This might mean that he sailed off from Hamburg or Bremen instead of some port in Baltic Sea, since

2553-403: The ancient remains on the island is a small. A small relic or shrine was unearthed on the top of the island. In ancient Germanic the text refers to something or someone known as “the one” or “the harbinger”, It comprises nine stone structures, of which two are burnt mounds and one is a cairn known as Ingas grav ("Grave of Inga"). Their character and elevated location indicate they belonged to

2622-422: The assembly and forthwith directed one of his own messengers to accompany the bishop's messenger, and to tell him that the people were unanimously inclined to accept his proposal and at the same time to tell him that, whilst their action was entirely agreeable to him, he could not give his full consent until, in another assembly, which was to be held in another part of his kingdom, he could announce this resolution to

2691-422: The elaborate trading networks of Viking Scandinavia and their influence on the subsequent history of Europe. Generally regarded as Sweden's oldest town, Birka (along with Hovgården) has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. Many burial sites have been uncovered at Birka, leading to the finding of many objects including jewelry and many textile fragments. In recent years, objects from Birka have been in

2760-451: The end of the 8th century, bishop of Amorium was under the jurisdiction of metropolitan of Pessinus , but he was later exempt and placed under direct patriarchal jurisdiction. On that occasion, he was given an honorary title of an autocephalous archbishop , but with no jurisdiction over other bishops. Sometime later ( c.  814 ), metropolitan province of Amorium was created, and local archbishop finally gained regional jurisdiction as

2829-400: The existing buildings are from the early 20th century, with a few individual buildings which are a century or so older. Birka settlement originated around 800 AD on the shores of the strait separating Björkö and Adelsö, today a pasture-ground known as Bystan covering some 12 ha . The area is still delimited by the ancient defensive earthwork, which once must have stretched farther south to

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2898-594: The following statement is the usage of the term "not far" (non longe) which was also used to describe the distance between Birka and the Uppsala temple: Furthermore we have been told that there are many more islands in that sea, one of which is called the Great Estland (Aestland) – And this island is told to be quite close to the Woman Land ( terrae feminarum ), which is not far (non longe) away from Birka of

2967-459: The former class with the abbreviation Metr. and the others with Arciv. Many of the titular sees to which nuncios and heads of departments of the Roman Curia who are not cardinals are assigned are not of archiepiscopal rank. In that case the person who is appointed to such a position is given the personal title of archbishop ( ad personam ). They are usually referred to as archbishop of

3036-429: The intervening seas (maria), where it was possible, by ship, and eventually arrived at the Swedish port called Birka. (Chapters X and XI) Rimbert does not say where Ansgar sailed off or where he landed. Noteworthy is just his note about several "seas" that they had to cross to get to Birka from the place they had landed to. Since Rimbert mentions them to have crossed the seas by ship "where it was possible" they clearly had

3105-847: The later account by Adam of Bremen gives the distance of Scania and Birka to be only five days at sea. Several Swedish kings of the 9th century, Björn , Anund and Olof , are all mentioned in Vita to have spent time in Birka. None of them is however said to have had his residence there, as the Swedish king and his retinue periodically moved between the Husbys , parts of the network of royal estates called Uppsala öd . King Björn met Ansgar in Birka when he arrived there in 829 (Chapter XI). Later King Olof met him there as well during his last trip in 852 (Chapter XXVI). Ansgar's missionary work resulted in first churches to be built in Sweden. Talking about Herigar ,

3174-546: The northern parts to the mouth of the Baltic Sea we first meet the Norwegians (Nortmanni), then the Danish region of Skåne (Sconia) stands out, and beyond these live the Geats (Gothi) for a long stretch all the way to Birka. (IV 14) Having described Västergötland and Skara , Adam writes: Beyond it Östergötland (Ostrogothia) extends along the sea, that is called the Baltic Sea, all the way to Birka. (IV 23) Noteworthy in

3243-782: The original Norse name of Birka is unknown. Birca is the Latinised form given in the written sources by Rimbert and Adam; and Birka is the contemporary, unhistorical Swedish form. The Latin name is probably derived from an Old Norse word " birk " which probably means a market place. Related to this was the Bjärköa law ( bjärköarätt ) which regulated the life of market places in Denmark , Norway and Sweden. Birka and similar spellings are very common in Scandinavian place names still today leading to speculation that all references to Birka, especially those by Adam of Bremen, were not about

3312-558: The people who lived in that district. (Chapter XXVII) Tings were huge open-air events, which required plenty of space. The more important ting that king Olof talked about was probably the Ting of all Swedes , which was held at the end of February in Uppsala , during the Disting . The king was obliged to obey the common decisions made at this ting, and the most powerful man at this assembly

3381-421: The person's former see, is not archiepiscopal. The bishop transferred is then known as the archbishop-bishop of his new see. An example is Gianfranco Gardin , appointed Archbishop-Bishop of Treviso on 21 December 2009. The title borne by the successor of such an archbishop-bishop is merely that of Bishop of the see, unless he also is granted the personal title of Archbishop. Another example is Arthur Roche , who

3450-438: The prefect of Birka: A little later he built a church on his own ancestral property and served God with the utmost devotion. (Chapter XI) Herigar's church was not far from the place where tings were held: On one occasion he himself was sitting in an assembly of people, a stage having been arranged for a council on an open plain. He then summoned his servants and told them to carry him to his church. (Chapter XIX) Another church

3519-661: The public eye due to ongoing academic research connection Birka to evidence of trade with the Middle East. Birka was founded around 750 AD as a trading port by a king or merchants trying to control trade. It is one of the earliest urban settlements in Scandinavia. Birka was the Baltic link in the Dnieper Trade Route through Ladoga ( Aldeigja ) and Novgorod ( Holmsgard ) to the Byzantine Empire and

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3588-470: The role, above ordinary bishops but below patriarchs, seems to be established for metropolitans by the 5th century. Episcopal sees are generally arranged in groups in which one see's bishop has certain powers and duties of oversight over the others. He is known as the metropolitan archbishop of that see. In the Catholic Church , canon 436 of the Code of Canon Law indicates what these powers and duties are for

3657-511: The same location. Both publications are silent on Birka's size, layout, and appearance. Based on Rimbert's account, Birka was significant because it had a port and it was the location of the regional ting . Adam only mentions the port, but otherwise, Birka seems to have been significant to him because it was the start of Ansgar's Christian mission and because Archbishop Unni was buried there. Vita Ansgari and Gesta are sometimes ambiguous, which has caused some controversy as to whether Birka and

3726-490: The same see: the 2008 Annuario Pontificio listed three living archbishops emeriti of Taipei . There is no archbishop emeritus of a titular see; an archbishop who holds a titular see keeps it until death or until transferred to another see. In the Anglican Communion , retired archbishops formally revert to being addressed as "bishop" and styled "The Right Reverend", although they may be appointed "archbishop emeritus" by their province on retirement, in which case they retain

3795-568: The same time, the nearby settlement of Sigtuna supplanted Birka as the main trading center in the Mälaren area. The reasons for Birka's decline are disputed. The Baltic island of Gotland was also in a better strategic position for Rus'-Byzantine trade and was gaining eminence as a mercantile stronghold. Historian Neil Kent has speculated that the area may have been the victim of an enemy assault. The Varangian trade stations in Russia suffered

3864-439: The see is considered sufficient and more appropriate. The rank of archbishop is conferred on some bishops who are not ordinaries of an archdiocese. They hold the rank not because of the see that they head but because it has been granted to them personally ( ad personam ). Such a grant can be given when someone who already holds the rank of archbishop is transferred to a see that, though its present-day importance may be greater than

3933-474: The see, not as its archbishop-bishop. If an archbishop resigns his see without being transferred to another, as in the case of retirement or assignment to head a department of the Roman Curia , the word emeritus is added to his former title, and he is called archbishop emeritus of his former see. Until 1970, such archbishops were transferred to a titular see. There can be several archbishops emeriti of

4002-470: The title "Archbishop in Jerusalem", despite having no ex officio right to be the metropolitan of the province. Until 1970, a coadjutor archbishop, one who has special faculties and the right to succeed to the leadership of a see on the death or resignation of the incumbent, was assigned also to a titular see , which he held until the moment of succession. Since then, the title of Coadjutor Archbishop of

4071-431: The title "archbishop" and the style "The Most Reverend", as a right. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a prominent example, as archbishop emeritus of Cape Town. Former archbishops who have not received the status of archbishop emeritus may still be informally addressed as "archbishop" as a courtesy, unless they are subsequently appointed to a bishopric (not an arch bishopric), in which case the courtesy ceases. While there

4140-473: The title nor the role can be traced. The title of "metropolitan" was apparently well known by the 4th century, when there are references in the canons of the First Council of Nicæa of 325 and Council of Antioch of 341 , though the term seems to be used generally for all higher ranks of bishop, including patriarchs. The term "archbishop" does not appear in the modern sense until the 6th century, although

4209-514: The trip very generally: It may suffice for me to say that while they were in the midst of their journey they fell into the hands of pirates. The merchants with whom they were travelling, defended themselves vigorously and for a time successfully, but eventually they were conquered and overcome by the pirates, who took from them their ships and all that they possessed, whilst they themselves barely escaped on. foot to land. —With great difficulty they accomplished their long journey on foot, traversing also

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4278-444: The vast majority of the coins found at Birka are silver dirhams from the Middle East while English and Carolingian coins are rare. Sources from Birka are mainly archaeological remains. No texts survive from this area, though the written text Vita Ansgari ("The Life of Ansgar") by Rimbert (c. 865) describes the missionary work of Ansgar around 830 at Birka, and Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum (Deeds of Bishops of

4347-588: The wild peoples all around this sea but which is risky for those who are careless or ignorant of such places ... they have therefore blocked this inlet of the troubled sea with hidden masses of rocks along more than 100 stadions (18 km). On this anchorage, being the best sheltered within the maritime region of Sweden (Suevoniae), all the ships belonging to Danes (Danorum) known as Norwegians (Nortmannorum) as well as to Slavs (Sclavorum), Sembrians (Semborum) and other Scythian (Scithiae) peoples use to convene every year for sundry necessary commerce. (I 62) Turning from

4416-429: The will of the people in regard to this matter. Let your messenger attend with me the next assembly (Chapter XXVI) When the day for the assembly which was held in the town of Birka drew near, in accordance with their national custom the king caused a proclamation to be made to the people by the voice of a herald, in order that they might be informed concerning the object of their mission. —The king then rose up from amongst

4485-705: Was Bishop of Leeds until his appointment as Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments . Roche remained a bishop by virtue of his position as bishop emeritus of Leeds – rather than being transferred to a different titular archbishopric, he was appointed as an archbishop ad personam . The distinction between metropolitan sees and non-metropolitan archiepiscopal sees exists for titular sees as well as for residential ones. The Annuario Pontificio marks titular sees of

4554-537: Was also built in Sweden, however location is left open: This Gautbert, who at his consecration received the honoured name of the apostle Simeon, went to Sweden, and was honourably received by the king and the people; and he began, amidst general goodwill and approval, to build a church there (Chapter XIV) The exiled Swedish King Anund Uppsale confirms that either one of the churches was in Birka itself when he ponders if Birka should be plundered: "There are there," he said, "many great and powerful gods, and in former time

4623-598: Was complemented with supplementary Scholias until the death of Adam in the 1080s. Birca is described as an existing city in the original version, but then as destroyed in Scholia 138 . One of Adam's main sources had been the German bishop Adalvard the Younger of Sigtuna and later of Skara as hinted in Scholia 119 . He was also very familiar with Rimbert's work. Adam himself never visited Birka. Adam described Birka as

4692-502: Was founded around AD 750 and it flourished for more than 200 years. It was abandoned c. AD 975, around the same time Sigtuna was founded as a Christian town some 35 km to the northeast. It has been estimated that the population in Viking Age Birka was between 500 and 1000 people. The archaeological sites of Birka and Hovgården , on the neighbouring island of Adelsö , make up an archaeological complex which illustrates

4761-636: Was not the king, but the lawspeaker of Tiundaland . Locally important tings were the Westrogothic Ting of all Geats in Skara and the Ostrogothic Lionga ting in the vicinity of today's Linköping . In Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum (Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church), Adam of Bremen mentions Birka many times, and the book is the main source of information on the city. After its initial release in 1075–6, Gesta

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