Lögberg (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈlœɣˌpɛrk]), or Law Rock, was a rocky outcrop in south west Iceland, at the location for the assembly of the country's Althing parliament. The original Althing was gathered at Þingvellir,[1] an area of dramatic landscapes which was easily accessible from the populated areas of the south west.[2]
The exact location of the Lögberg is unknown, because of the changing geography of the rift valley over 1000 years.[3] Two possible locations have been identified in Þingvellir, one a flat ledge at the top of a slope named Hallurinn (currently marked by a flagpole), the other in the Almannagjá fault against a rock wall.[1] A site in the Hestagjá ravine has been put forward as ideal.[2]
The Lögberg was the place on which the Lawspeaker (lögsögumaður [ˈlœɣˌsœːɣʏˌmaːðʏr̥]) took his seat as the presiding official of the assembly of the Althing. Speeches and announcements were made from the spot.[3] Anyone attending could make their argument from the Lögberg. The gatherings were also convened and dissolved from it.[1]
The Lögberg performed its purpose from the formation of the parliament in 930. It ceased to be used in 1262, when Iceland took allegiance to Norway.[1]
Gallery
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19th-century rendering of the Law Rock in Þingvellir
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The site of the Law Rock in modern Þingvellir
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Alþingi Lögberg aerial panorama, taken in June 2017
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Detail view (2016)
References
edit- ^ a b c d "The Law Rock: Lögberg". Thingvellir.is. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
- ^ a b Short, William R. (2010). Icelanders in the Viking Age: The People of the Sagas. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 23–24. ISBN 9780786456079.
- ^ a b Short, William R. (2010). Icelanders in the Viking Age: The People of the Sagas. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9780786456079.
64°15′35″N 21°07′22″W / 64.2596°N 21.1227°W
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