The medieval parliamentary
assembly sites, the Thing Sites, could be regarded as the cradle of
democracy in Europe. They were the first attempts to share power, to
establish legislative and executive procedures in society and to
adopt civil rights for the individual. The sites represent values
such as freedom of speech and democracy. In some respects these
values are under pressure in today’s world. It is therefore
important to connect the history of the Thing Sites to conflict
resolution issues today, and to pass on the values of the sites as
we set out to discover the Viking cradle of democracy.
The THING Project is a three year transnational project funded by
the Northern Periphery Program involving partners in Norway, Iceland,
Faroe, Highland Scotland, Orkney, Shetland and the Isle of Man. The Northern Periphery Programme aims
to help peripheral and remote communities on the northern margins of
Europe to develop their economic, social and environmental potential.
The project has established a network to explore and promote the shared
links between the Northern European Thing sites and develop sustainable
business and tourism opportunities in each of the partner regions.
Through this website we aim to support the creation of a common strategy for interpreting and promoting
Thing sites and other Viking heritage sites across Europe. Although each site is unique, they share
many of the same concerns and challenges, and we support the gaining of valuable
insights through exchanging knowledge and site management strategies. All those involved with this kind of development should collaborate and share expertise in creating educational
and interpretive materials and activities. We, as an established research organisation in public knowledge transfer and social networking, are happy to support new ways of raising public awareness and communicating information using
innovative web based technologies and social media.
Reporting on Viking cultural heritage and history is
the main pupose of this site. We like to use as many photographs as we
can to illustrate this landscape and use the photo library of Lynda
Mallett who can be found on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndamallett We also have our own blog at www.vikinglandscape.blogspot.com for viking history for adding your comments on viking sites.
THING SITES OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC There are some interesting projects happening at the moment and this one can be found at www.thingproject.eu
Some information on the most popular sites in Northern Europe,
including extra sites not covered by the EU project can be found at www.thingsites.blogspot.com
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NORSE HERITAGE AND THING SITES
A very popular site for information Viking Heritage and Archaeology is ThingsViking.blogspot.com this site has many pictures and links to other projects taking place around Europe.
This
site provides a history of the Vikings from the 8th century to
the 11th
century. Learn more about their adventures in Britain, Russia and North
Atlantic and Viking sites you can visit. Where possible we link to photos and video clips on Flickr and Youtube like this one
THE VIKING WAY David Aaronovitch The truth behind the many myths about the Vikings: who
they were where, how they fought, their skills as explorers &
story-tellers. Click on the banner to hear the three programmes.
The Norse Gods Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Vikings’ myths. Thor’s huge hammer,
the wailing Valkyrie, howling wolves and fierce elemental giants give a
rowdy impression of the Norse myths. But at the centre of their cosmos
stands a gnarled old Ash tree, from which all distances are measured and
under which Valhalla lies. Click the banner to hear the programme.
CHANNEL 4 Time Team http://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team-specials/4od#2925222 In late 2003 two metal detectorists were working in a field in
Yorkshire. They found 'treasure' buried just beneath the surface - a
collection of Viking material next to a body.
Although they had
been detecting on the site for a number of years, during which time they
had made large numbers of finds, nothing they had uncovered previously
compared with this. They decided to share their discovery with
archaeologists.
In this Time Team Special, produced and directed
by Brendan Hughes, Brendan and an assistant followed the excavation of
the site and the often difficult relationship between the metal
detectorists and the archaeologists over a period of a year from late
2005 to 2006.
Sherwood
Forest's Viking Assembly Site represented at International Conference
Conference Delegates on an Orkney Thing Site
Two
members of the local history group 'Friends of Thynghowe' joined
delegates from across northern Europe in Shetland and Orkney in April as part of a four day visit to the northern isles to exchange
knowledge of Viking assembly sites, known as Things, or Tings in
Shetland. After two days in Shetland, the Northern Periphery
Programme THING project moved on to Orkney to compare assembly sites
in both island communities.
The THING project has partners
from Shetland, Orkney, Norway, Iceland, Faroe, Highland Scotland and
the Isle of Man. One of the main aims of the three year project,
supported by European money, is to develop sustainable management and
business structures at Northern European thing sites.
Thing
sites are spread across north-west Europe as a result of the Viking
diaspora and Norse settlements. Last June the project secured funding
to connect and interpret a network of these sites throughout the
Viking world.
The
Thynghowe site recently re-discovered in Sherwood Forest has been
described by English Heritage as a 'national rarity' and was part of
the Danelaw administration. Lynda Mallett of the local Thynghowe
friends group said: “Thing sites are part of our shared North
European past and we still have in our own Sherwood Forest landscape
a wonderful assembly site that was used for governance and justice
for hundreds of years”.
Stuart Reddish, a local historian
and landscape investigator, was called upon to give a key-note
lecture to delegates and the public on the second leg of the
conference in Kirkwall, Orkney. Stuart said after his lecture on the
Sherwood Thynghowe site “It was very exciting to be invited to the
THING project as one major aspect of the project is to explore the
possibility of a transnational World Heritage nomination, expanding
on Iceland’s existing World Heritage Site at Thingvellir. For
Sherwood to be part of that initiative is a great opportunity”.
The Friends of
Thynghowe are hoping that archaeological events will be arranged for
members of the public to participate in. Notification of future
events will be found later in the year on the groups website at
www.thynghowe.org.uk
To look at the photographs of our most recent survey on Thynghowe click on the photograph on the left which will take you to Lynda Mallett's Flickr Set.
The medieval parliamentary
assembly sites, the Thing Sites, could be regarded as the cradle of
democracy in Europe. They were the first attempts to share power, to
establish legislative and executive procedures in society and to
adopt civil rights for the individual. The sites represent values
such as freedom of speech and democracy. In some respects these
values are under pressure in today’s world. It is therefore
important to connect the history of the Thing Sites to conflict
resolution issues today, and to pass on the values of the sites as
we set out to discover the Viking cradle of democracy.
The THING Project is a three year transnational project funded by
the Northern Periphery Program involving partners in Norway, Iceland,
Faroe, Highland Scotland, Orkney, Shetland and the Isle of Man. The 
This
site provides a history of the Vikings from the 8th century to
the 11th
century. Learn more about their adventures in Britain, Russia and North
Atlantic and Viking sites you can visit. Where possible we link to photos and video clips on Flickr and Youtube like this one
