Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2015, Page 13

Joris Coolen And Natascha Mehler
SURVEYING THE ASSEMBLY SITE
AND CHURCHES OF ÞINGEYRAR
The location of Húnavatnsþing, one of the regional assemblies of Iceland’s Northern
Quarter during the Commonwealth period, has long been identified as Þingeyrar
in Austur-Húnavatnssýsla. Þingeyrar was also the site of one of Iceland’s earliest
monasteries and a sequence of church buildings. In 2012, a resistance survey and a
topographical survey were carried out at Þingeyrar to clarify the nature of the alleged
dómhringur (court circle) and other structures thought to be part of the assembly
site. The investigations revealed the remains of a churchyard enclosure, possible
graves, and a substantial church, which could be the building commissioned by Lárus
Gottrup in 1695. Inside the dómhringur, subtle anomalies were detected, the layout of
which bears analogy to that of a medieval church.
Joris Coolen, Zentrumfiir baltische und skandinavische Archdologie,
Schleswig Deutschland. Email: joris.coolen@schloss-gottorf.de
Natascha Mehler, Institutfur Urgeschichte und Historische Archáologie,
Universitát Wien, Österreich. Email: natascha.mehler@univie.ac.at
Keywords: assembly site, church, dómhringur, monastery, geophysical survey.
Introduction
Þingeyrar in Austur-Húnavatnssýsla,
Northern Iceland, was an important cen-
tral place during the Commonwealth
period (Vésteinsson 2006). The name refers
to a farm and parish church located 13 km
southwest of Blönduós, situated on a spit
of land bordered by the lagoons Hóp and
Húnavatn to the west and east, respectively,
and the bay of Húnafjörður to the north
(Fig. 1). Ihis spit of land is referred to as
Þing. The lagoons on both sides are in fact
estuaries separated from the sea by a broad
sand plain named Þingeyrasandur. Both
have a natural outlet into the bay (Bjargaós
and Húnaós). The lagoons are relatively
shallow and can be crossed on horseback
during low tide; a long reef (Þingeyrarif)
stretches across the lagoon Hóp from Þing-
eyrar towards the western shore. Located
at the centre of the ridge, Þingeyrar offers
a good view of the lagoons and the sur-
rounding valleys and mountains.
Archaeologia Islandica 11 (2015) 11-32