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Historical Viking Age Iceland by Jesse Byock $15.00 / Penguin Books / 2001 In 870 AD, people from both Britain and Scandinavia colonized the inhospitable volcanic island of Iceland. How these farmers managed to thrive in this harsh, subarctic world lies at the heart of Viking Age Iceland, but how they were able to do so without a government, merchant fleet, military, or even towns and villages is what really makes this book a welcome challenge to our notion of what constitutes a civilization. Author Jesse Byock combines several disciplines to provide an overall depiction of life on the island. And in reconstructing the period known as the Old Icelandic Free State, the book makes generous use of the sagas that too often have been discounted by other writers. Far from being a bucolic utopia, violence was common among the settlers, and without any law enforcement to keep the peace, it was necessary to devise a way to uphold individual rights without giving too much power to the local chieftains. With the creation of the Althing-an open assembly-feuds and disputes were resolved through arbitration and compromise; even the Viking's conversion to Christianity in 1000 AD was debated and enacted without incident. This consensual order would eventually break down by the middle of the 13th century, when King Hakon of Norway claimed control of the island. But until then, the Althing was extremely effective and became so deeply ingrained in the sagas that the stories were seen as a form of social instruction, a moral code in which honor and the common good were held above all else. The most fascinating aspect of Viking Age Iceland is that this experiment in self rule managed to last as long as it did without European interference, giving us an untainted glimpse into an insular culture which was as rich as their tales that have been handed down to us. --Charles Matza

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