The honestone-trade was the main reason why  Skien was made a meetingplace more than 1000 years ago. This important export-article made foreigners  as well as rich norwegians see the great oportunities.  Allready in the first years after 1000, we can discover tracks from organized activities like transport from Eidsborg to Skien and  fthe harbourarea-project.  Which people might have been the coordinating group for those activities?  One family is beeing pointed out – Dag’s-family who lived in the Bratsbergarea.

This text  and the following is written by Thor Gundersen, drawings are collected from ’The norwegian history’ and photoes made by Siri Ødegård and Gunnar Skottner.

 
Slekta var nok tidligere knyttet til Brunlanes, strategisk plassert i forhold til Numedalslågen og Telemarksvassdraget. Da handelssenteret Kaupang mistet sin betydning på 900-tallet, har trolig Dags-ætta sett seg om etter et nytt senter for sin handelsvirksomhet. Da har nok brynesteins-handelen i Skien veid tungt. Trolig kan vi snakke om Skien som Kaupangs arvtager - kanskje sammen med Tønsberg.

What do we really know about Skien at this time? The meetingplace in the early years after 1000, consists of solid timber-buildings with several separate rooms, planked floors and fireplaces. In a little area inside the marketplace, the architects found two huge buildings and one narrow tree-paved ”road” behind the buildings. This fact – in addition to the harbouractivities –  tells about some accepted regulations.  From this period Skien might be called a densely built-up area. Skien was on it’s way to become a town area.  After 1150 a new construction stage.  The archeologists found carryover parts from logged timber-buildings. One shoemaker-workshop and one dwelling.

Outside those buildings there was a wide tree-paved ”road” – more than 14 metres long. This was the first ”Telemarksgata”.  

What kind of lifesituation for Skien-citicens at that time?  Discovery gives a few answers. Decorated combs and game-equipment og game pieces – do easily match discovery from other Scandinavian countries.  The most common jewels were amber-pearls. 

Skien at the 11th century did also have good relations to people in other areas, and thus easily was able to keep up with  other early areas in the Middle-age.

The honestone was the basis for the excistanse of Skien, and the first time Skien is mentioned – 1184 – are we told that honestone also was used as weapon. Other local raw material were skin, antlers, wool, flax and timber, and the foreigners brought pottery, soapstone-vessels and grain. Allready at that time it must have been a lively time at Skien harbour.    

The leaders at  Bratsberg

Also the leaders and chiefs of  Bratsberg arrived Skien harbour, coming back from their cruises. It must have been a pride view, watching ships sailingupwards the Skien river. The Bratsberg leaders were really not  a group of  nobodys Dag Eilivsson was one of King Magnus Berrføtts and Sigurd Jordsalfars  mightiest and most distinguished men. And Gregorius – Dag’s son – was really one of Norways mightiest men at his time.  He was the chief gardien for Inge the King, in his fight to be the ruler  over Norway.

Gregorius had  90 helmet men, and going to court he had a golden helmet himself.

The stories about Dag and Gregorius are well known, and we can easily imagine what high positions they had in this area, as local chiefs and the king’s important men. Especially Gregorius was interesting in the total norwegian politics, and thereby was not able to have so much local social involvement. Some of his own men took over this responsibility.

We have indications that Dag eilivsson might have been deeply overwhelmed by the Catholic religion. This was important for Skien. Dag built a church on Kapitelberget, and he provided the economic fundament for a Benedictiner-cloister at Gimsøy. Both Dag and his wife Ragnhild were probably burried at Gimsøy, and so did his son Gregorius and his daughter Baugeid – who was this cloisters first mother superior. 

 
Kapitelberget
The church on Kapitelberget is a crypt-church. In Norway there is only two crypt-churches found. The crypt under the church-floor was used for requiems and to keep relics. We assume that Dag has travelled to The Holy Land with Sigurd Jordsalfar, and brought a relic back to Skien and Kapitelberget.

Gimsøy cloister

As the  founder of Gimsøy cloister Dag did really make visible tracks of his life in Skien-area. The cloister was handled and managed by Baugeid Dagsdatter – Dag’s daughter – and her successors, the cloister did really have a powerful position. Especially caused to all the landproperties  given to the cloiser by Dag Eilivsson.

This little marketplace called Skien, was obvious characterized  by all the foreigners arriving Skien – related to the project building Gimsøy Cloister.  An institution like a cloister was really international, and a lot of foreigner visitors  arrived with the nuns and representatives from other norwegian Benedichtinercloisters. The increasing abundance of products and wares gave Skien a decent kick forwards.