Editing Birka (section)

===Adam of Bremen's description===
In ''[[Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum]]'' (Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church),<ref>[http://hbar.phys.msu.su/gorm/chrons/bremen.htm Adam of Bremen, Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050207105412/http://hbar.phys.msu.su/gorm/chrons/bremen.htm |date=7 February 2005 }}, online text in Latin. Note that ''Scholias'' at the end of the text are later supplements, possibly by Adam himself or copyists. English translation of ''Gesta'' is not available in public domain, and the translation of the selected parts is by Wikipedia editors.</ref> Adam of Bremen mentions Birka many times, and the book is the main source of information on the city. After its initial release in 1075–6, ''Gesta'' was complemented with supplementary ''Scholias'' until the death of Adam in the 1080s. Birca is described as an existing city in the original version, but then as destroyed in ''Scholia 138''.

One of Adam's main sources had been the German bishop [[Adalvard|Adalvard the Younger]] of [[Sigtuna]] and later of [[Skara]] as hinted in ''Scholia 119''. He was also very familiar with Rimbert's work. Adam himself never visited Birka.

====Location and port====
Adam described Birka as a [[Geat]]ish port town and had gathered many details about it.

<blockquote>Birka is the main Geatish town ([[oppidum]] Gothorum), situated in the middle of Sweden (Suevoniae), not far (non longe) from the [[Temple at Uppsala|temple called Uppsala]] (Ubsola) which the Swedes (Sueones) held in the highest esteem when it comes to the worship of the gods; here forms an inlet of the Baltic or the Barbaric Sea a port facing north which welcomes all the wild peoples all around this sea but which is risky for those who are careless or ignorant of such places ... they have therefore blocked this inlet of the troubled sea with hidden masses of rocks along more than 100 [[Ancient Greek units of measurement|stadions]] (18 km). On this anchorage, being the best sheltered within the maritime region of Sweden (Suevoniae), all the ships belonging to Danes (Danorum) known as Norwegians (Nortmannorum) as well as to [[Slavs]] (Sclavorum), [[Sambians|Sembrians]] (Semborum) and other [[Scythians|Scythian]] (Scithiae) peoples use to convene every year for sundry necessary commerce. (I 62)</blockquote>

<blockquote>Turning from the northern parts to the mouth of the Baltic Sea we first meet the Norwegians (Nortmanni), then the Danish region of [[Skåne]] (Sconia) stands out, and beyond these live the Geats (Gothi) for a long stretch all the way to Birka. (IV 14)</blockquote>

Having described [[Västergötland]] and [[Skara]], Adam writes:

<blockquote>Beyond it [[Östergötland]] (Ostrogothia) extends along the sea, that is called the Baltic Sea, all the way to Birka. (IV 23)</blockquote>

Noteworthy in the following statement is the usage of the term "not far" (non longe) which was also used to describe the distance between Birka and the Uppsala temple:

<blockquote>Furthermore we have been told that there are many more islands in that sea, one of which is called the Great [[Estonia|Estland]] (Aestland) – And this island is told to be quite close to the Woman Land ([[Terra Feminarum|terrae feminarum]]), which<ref>Note that Adam's words "cum illa superior" may also refer to [[Courland]] discussed in Chapter IV 16 just before Estland thus meaning that Birka was not far away from Courland. Compare with Rimbert's story about an attack to Courland, ''Vita Ansgari'' Chapter XXX.</ref> is not far (non longe) away from Birka of the Swedes. (IV 17)</blockquote>

Adam also had travel instructions from Skåne to [[Sigtuna]]:

<blockquote>From Skåne (Sconia) of the Danes one reaches Sigtuna (Sictonam) or Birka after five days at sea, for they are indeed alike.<ref>The word ''iuxta'' can also be translated "close by".</ref> But by land from Skåne across the Geatish people (Gothorum populos) and cities Skara (Scaranem), Telgas and Birka, one reaches Sigtuna only after a full month. (IV 28)</blockquote>

"Telgas" is not mentioned anywhere else, and it remains as speculative as Birka. The most popular identification among many telge names in Sweden is [[Södertälje]].<ref>Assuming Birka and Björkö settlement were the same, Adam's travel instructions were latest from the 10th century when Björkö settlement still existed. Södertälje is mentioned as "Tælgia" etc in medieval sources. ''Gesta'' excluded, it is mentioned for the first time in 1281. However, it is considered possible that Södertälje was already established in the 11th century, but dating the city to be contemporary to the Björkö settlement is unlikely.</ref> ''Scholia 121'' of IV 20 tells also:

<blockquote>For those who sail from Skåne (Sconia) of the Danes to Birka, the journey takes five days, from Birka to Russia (Ruzziam) likewise five days at sea. (Scholia 121)</blockquote>

The following definition remains even more mysterious:

<blockquote>In pity of their errors, our archbishop ordained as their diocesan capital Birka, which is in the middle of Sweden (Sueoniae) facing [[Jumne]] (Iumnem), the capital of the Slavs, and equally distant from all the coasts of the surrounding sea. (IV 20)</blockquote>

Since it is physically impossible for any Swedish town to face Jumne, the latter being situated along [[Oder|River Oder]], Adam's statement is probably a misunderstanding. No place having a similar name to Birka is known to have situated on the opposite shore of Oder, so it may be possible that something similar to Jumne was located opposite to Birka.

====Bishop====
[[Archbishopric of Bremen|Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen]] that oversaw the missionary work in Scandinavia until 1103, had appointed bishops to Sweden at least from 1014 onwards, the first see being in [[Skara]]. Several bishops were appointed for Sweden in 1060s, one also for Birka.

<blockquote>For Sweden, six were consecrated: [[Adalvard|Adalvard the Elder]] (Adalwardum) and Acilinum, also [[Adalvard|Adalvard the Younger]] (Adalwardum) and Tadicum, and furthermore Simeon (Symeonem) and the monk John (Iohannem). (III 70)</blockquote>

''Scholia 94'' appends this as follows:

<blockquote>Adalvard the Elder (Adalwardus senior) was to superintend both lands of the Geats (uterque praefectus est Gothiae), Adalvard the Younger Sigtuna (Sictunam) and Uppsala (Ubsalam), Simeon (Symon) the [[Sami people]] (Scritefingos), John (Iohannes) the islands of the Baltic Sea. (Scholia 94)</blockquote>

Furthermore, the following was said about John's location after talking about Birka:

<blockquote>For this city he ordained, as the first among our people, the abbot Hiltin, whom he wanted to call John. (IV 20)</blockquote>

John seems to have been situated in Birka in order to prepare for the missionary work among the many heathen people that flooded to Birca from around the Baltic coasts. This was a logical continuation to Birka's position as the first missionary town in Sweden. Noteworthy here is that the biggest islands in the Baltic Sea, [[Öland]] and [[Gotland]], were part of the [[diocese of Linköping]] in the Middle Ages, covering also Östergötland and eastern [[Småland]].

====Location of Unni's tomb====
''Scholia 122'' of IV 20 locates the tomb of Hamburg's archbishop [[Unni (archbishop)|Unni]] in Birka:

<blockquote>There is the port of Saint [[Ansgar]] and the tomb of the holy Archbishop Unni, and a familiar haven, it is said, for the holy confessors of our diocese. (Scholia 122)</blockquote>

According to ''Gesta'', Unni had died in 936 (I 64).<ref>Unni's head was taken to the [[Bremen Cathedral]] where it still today is. Date 17.9.936 is written in the lead plate attached to the saint's skull. Lindqvist, Herman. ''Historien om Sverige'', 1992. {{ISBN|91-1-931502-3}}. See page 226.</ref>

====Destruction====
After having consistently described Birka as an existing city, ''Scholia 138'' of IV 29 describes Birka's sudden demise. Talking about [[Adalvard the Younger]], the bishop of Sigtuna and later that of Skara, Adam or a later copyist has written:

<blockquote>During his journey he seized the opportunity to make a detour to Birka, which is now reduced to loneliness so that one can hardly find vestiges of the city; therefore impossible to come upon the tomb of the holy Archbishop Unni. (Scholia 138)</blockquote>

The remark does not make it clear if Adalvard found the city destroyed or if that had happened after his visit and the later remark was just to warn the future pilgrims not to go there anymore in vain. As Adalvard was back in Bremen already by 1069 and is mentioned as one of Adam's sources of information, it would have been expected that word about Birka's destruction had reached also Adam before he published his work half a decade later.