'Barbarians' of the North: Reflections on the Establishment of Courtyard Sites in North Norway

Abstract

'Courtyard sites' consist of house grounds which are normally situated around an oval, semicircular or horseshoe-shaped yard. A total of 22 courtyard sites are known in Norway, 11 of which are located in North Norway. Radiocarbon analyses from several of these sites point to the 3rd century as the 'establishment period'. According to the author, the establishment of the sites was related to the emergence of a new social élite based on land ownership, and to the integration of this élite into the Nordic-Germanic world.