| Summary: | This chapter examines the evidence of Norse administrative structures and thing sites in Norse Scotland. This area, unlike Iceland, Greenland and the Faroes, had been populated since the Mesolithic period, and the Norse therefore interacted with existing populations. In this area, the Norse expressed themselves just as in Scandinavia, through the appropriation of monuments, above all large mounds. The other assembly site features are similar to those found in the other Norse settlements as well as Scandinavia, although some influence from the Picts and Gaels of Scotland is seen.The nature of the evidence of law and assembly varies across Norse Scotland, partly as a result of the different political situations. The most detailed evidence relates to Orkney and Shetland, where Norse rule lasted the longest.
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