|
Svealand's District of
Birka
District Leader:
Contents
During the 10th century Birka was raided several times by Danish vikings. In the year 1007 the town was totally ruined by the Norwegian king Olav Haraldsson. Björkö has since medieval times been known as Birka, the word Björkö means “island of birch”, which is of course descriptive of the area. Many imperial emissaries and agents were sent to Birka during the seventh century, like for example Ansgars and Rimbert from the Frankish empire. The merchants and the imperial emissaries ruled the Silk Road and probably any other trade route of significance, like those of iron, fur, hides and skins, hence they ruled Birka by means of an imperial prefect and their own and separate legislation and court of law, which however was converted to suit Birka’s standards as was the custom.
The northern most part of the island of Birka is an uninterrupted ruin that paints an eloquent picture of a bountiful society. What one first notices are the great mound grave fields, strongholds and the city banks.
On the west bank there is the old town of Svarta Jorden. It is a large area of black earth in which the remains of buildings reside. The name Svarta Jorden means The Black Earth. Svarta Jorden covers, today, an area of approximately seven hectares. Its nether region has a distinct terrace-like outline towards the shore.
The very first studies and digs in Birka were done during the 1600’s but it was not until 1870 that Hjalmar Stolpe put the city on the international archaeological and historical map with the help of the numerous finds he discovered and that offered such a large amount of knowledge about the Viking age.
Birka was founded along with other similar trading places in eastern and northern Europe and comprised a strategically placed port of trade, in a secluded and secure bay midway in the Baltic, but still perfectly reachable for all kinds of eastern and western ships of trade. So from the East to the West tradesmen met to exchange handicrafts.
The local countrymen and king probably paid tribute to the rulers of the Silk Road in exchange for privileges of trade.
It seems impossible to regard these as representing anything else, than the last resorts of some of the noble born imperial emissaries and esteemed merchants from the Khazarian and Frankish empires. Approximately a hundred exceptionally rich chamber graves, especially those featuring the ancient Scythian-Altaic custom of offering horses, comprise an overwhelming amount of eastern and Khazaric features. For example, short hussar jackets, kaftans, fur brimmed and pointed hats, balloon trousers, probably double bent Altaic bows with quivers and arrows, buttons and other dress mountings, horse garments and mountings such as stirrups and bridles, personal weapons such as spears, axes, daggers and Frankish and other swords, occasionally featuring Togrul, the eagle, at the sheath. Silver coins are also sporadically found in the graves, as the so called Birka coinage. They may however have been stamped on Khazarian demand by the often Jewish minters, somewhere along the Silk Road, from Frankish and Arabic models. Thus loads of faked Arabic dirhems were produced within the Khazarian Empire. On occasion one is also able to read Hebrew characters, also very well understood by the Jewish merchants and nobles of the Khazarian empire. Warrior burials in chamber graves, along with sacrified horses, indicate to Eastern European influence and representing several thousands of years of tradition among the Scythian, Sarmatic, Altaic and Turko-Tartaric tribes. These noble graves then represent an exclusive momentum of the general culture of nobles among the ethnical Scandinavians, Slavs, Crimean Goths and Khazars, especially of the Khazarian, but also Varangian houses of trade and in the emerging Kievan domain.
Internet: Pictures copyright of SVT, Svensk Television On Print: Text extracts of "Birka" by Björn Ambrosiani
The Discussions of Birka:
|
