Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2002, Page 94

Ole Guldager
Igaliku íjord (Einarsfjörður). This was
the place of the Episcopal seat at Garðar
(0 47), one of the largest farms in the
entire country. Here we also find the
ruins of the large St. Nikolaus' Cathedral.
Only a few kilometres to the north,
another farm site (0 48) is found, quite
ordinary in size, but containing a small
church, or chapel. If there is a chieftain
farm in this area, I presume, due to the
presence of the chapel, that this is the
one, a phenomenon only known at other
large farm sites.
In contrast to the other chieftain and
church farm complexes, this one seems
to be reversed as to size and location,
indicating clerical dominance.
Considering, however, that this was the
Episcopal seat, it is not surprising.
The existence of these chiefitain and
church farm complexes in South
Greenland suggests that the Norse socie-
ty did not have a strong clerical domi-
nance. It seems that large chieftain farms
at the best locations, with church farms in
the vicinity, dominated most regions. The
clear exception is the Episcopal seat at
Garðar. This place was perhaps the only
stronghold of the Roman Church in all of
Norse Greenland.
In recent years, both Christian Keller
(1989, 1991) and Jette Ameborg (1991)
have discussed the relationship between
the church and the chieftains in Norse
Greenland, claiming that a rather inde-
pendent society existed with private
churches owned by the chieftains
throughout the entire period of settle-
ment. Since the proposed chieftain and
church farm complexes in this analysis
are likely to represent the last settlement
phase (early 15th century), it seems rea-
sonable to believe that the chieftains did
control both their land and churches until
the very end.
Conclusion.
Considering the new insights presented
in this article, it seems that it was worth
the effort to reinvestigate the medieval
Norse ruin sites of South Greenland, in
order to locate the largest farms and to
get closer to an understanding of the
social structure of this society.
The most conspicuous result of the
investigation is that it seems that the
location of Brattahlíð, the renowned
chieftain's see, originally settled by Eric
the Red, should be reconsidered. The
available evidence suggests the large
farm site in Qinngua, in the Tunulliarfik
ljord of South Greenland as the true loca-
tion of Brattahlíð. Here, in Qinngua, we
find not only the largest of all Norse
farms in the entire country, but also the
possible remains of a church, likely to
have been the Leiðar church at
Brattahlíð.
Furthermore, the investigation has
resulted in a new and more detailed
knowledge of the social structure of the
Eastem Settlement. It has so far been
generally assumed, that the church farms
were the central places in the settlement,
and the places where the chieftains used
to live. Due to the results of the investi-
gation, it appears that the central places
of the settlement were the so-called
chieftain and church farm complexes,
consisting of a large, well situated farm
and a farm with a parish church within a
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