Iron Age Norway – an inverted pear-shaped society against the state?

Abstract

The unification of Norway is a central theme for historians and archaeologists alike. Despite increasing hierarchization, the emergence of local power centers, and the gradual development of larger political entities from the Roman Period, Norway was not unified until the end of the Viking Age at the earliest. In my opinion, the absence of a state is the key political characteristic of Iron Age society. Therefore, I replace the commonly raised question “what caused the unification of Norway?” with the related, but different “how did Western Scandinavia remain stateless for so long?” Inspired by anarchist theory and social anthropological works, I will emphasize the importance of identity politics and present a model that takes into account numerous contemporary high-status environments.