ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses some of the early evidence for organised gatherings in Scandinavia, before reviewing specific attributes of the thing, with emphasis on the kinds of practices that took place, who attended, and evidence for activities and rituals created for assembly activity. The prehistoric and pre-Christian past in northern Europe lacks a written record, while the material record for the 1st to 10th centuries ad can be sporadic and inconsistent. In Scandinavia, the system of administrative units served by assemblies, in simple terms, comprised large law provinces divided in to smaller local hundreds. Early medieval and medieval thing meetings were highly complex gatherings and this is reflected in the way these meetings operated. Thing meetings were held at set times of the year and were called in relation to specific events, such as killings. There is an increasing body of evidence of ritual feasting and drinking at the thing.
