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The Book of the Icelanders
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The Book of the Icelanders

work by Ari
Also known as: “Íslendingabók”, “Libellus Islandorum”
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The Book of the Icelanders (Íslendingabók) is the first history of Iceland written in the vernacular, by Ari Thorgilsson the Learned. Composed before 1133, it covers the period from Iceland's settlement up to 1120. The work includes information on the founding of the Althing, Iceland's parliament, and the settlement of Greenland and Vinland (North America).1

According to The Book of the Icelanders, Iceland was settled by Norse people during the Viking Age, between approximately 870 and 930 CE. The oldest known permanent settler, Ingólfr Arnarson, is said to have arrived from Norway in 874 and established a homestead at Reykjavík. Most settlers came from Norway, with others originating from different Nordic countries and Norse settlements in the British Isles.2

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Ari Thorgilsson the Learned
  2. Iceland - Settlement ( c. 870– c. 930)

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