L Anse Aux Meadows Analysis
L’Anse aux Meadows is an archaeological site on the Great Northern Peninsula in Newfoundland, Canada that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, designates World Heritage Sites in order to “…encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.” The L’Anse aux Meadows archaeological site is truly of outstanding value to humanity because it is the only recognized, authentic site of Viking presence in North America; and it is the earliest site of European presence on the continent. Archaeological excavations of this site revealed evidence of a Viking settlement
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that had been built during the 11th century, 500 hundred years before Christopher Columbus made his voyage to North America. Legends of an 11th century Viking settlement in North America had been around for a long time, beginning with tales from the famous Icelandic sagas. These sagas were ancient Viking stories that had been shared by word of mouth for years until they were later written down in the 13th century. The Vikings were a group of people from southern Scandinavia that became well-known in history for their raids on Europe between 793-1066 A.D. The Vikings shared religious beliefs, economies, and a Germanic language called Old Norse. Not only did Vikings explore and raid Europe, they also used their remarkable sea-faring skills to travel across the North Atlantic and establish farming settlements in Iceland and Greenland. It is from Icelandic Viking stories that historians first learned of a possible Viking settlement in North America.
Two Icelandic sagas of Erik the Red and Bjarni Herjolfsson describe the Viking discovery of North America and a land they called Vinland in 1000 A.D.
In the sagas, Vinland was described as a land with wild grapes, warm winters, and plenty of timber. This timber was important for the Vikings because Greenland did not provide any wood for building. The sagas depict voyages to this region by Vikings such as Leif Eriksson and Thorfinn Karlsefn who built houses, explored the region in search of timber, furs, and grapes, and traded and battled with the aboriginal people that they called skraelings. The Vikings spent several summers exploring the region that they called Vinland before they eventually returned to Greenland, possibly due to these clashes with aboriginal people. The location and even existence of the Viking’s Vinland had been debated for years, but the discovery of archaeological evidence of a Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows provided proof of a Viking settlement in North America and opened up discussions about the possible location of the famous …show more content…
Vinland. The L’Anse aux Meadows site was discovered in 1960 by Helge Ingstad, a Norwegian explorer, and his wife Anne Stine Ingstad, an archaeologist. The couple had been searching for evidence of Viking settlements in North America, traveling along the coast of New England and working their way northward into Canada. When they reached the northern part of Newfoundland, a local fisherman named George Decker led them to an area with sod mounds that the local people had thought were possibly Native American mounds. From 1960-1968, Anne Stine Ingstad led a team of international archaeologists in excavations at this site and the excavations revealed conclusive evidence that this was a site of Viking settlement in North America. The excavations revealed evidence of eight buildings with sod walls and roofs over wooden frames that were similar to Viking buildings in Greenland and Iceland from the 11th century. The excavations also revealed evidence of iron-work as several iron boat rivets were found. Iron-work was not practiced by Native Americans until after 1500 A.D., indicating that this site was indeed European. The archaeologists also found several other Viking artifacts including a bronze ring headed pin, a stone oil lamp, a small stone spinning wheel, a bone needle for knitting, and a whetstone for sharpening needles and small scissors. The presence of artifacts such as a spinning wheel and bone needle revealed that Viking women had also been present at the settlement because they were responsible for the task of sewing.
Parks Canada, the organization who currently operates the site, continued archaeological excavations from 1973-1976. These excavations revealed three complexes in the settlement, each with a dwelling and workshop for craftsmen such as woodworkers. The excavations also explored the peat bog near the settlement and found more evidence of iron-work as well as wood-work. The archaeologists discovered pieces of wood that revealed smoothing and trimming with metal tools, reinforcing the idea of Vikings shipping timber from North America back to Greenland as had been mentioned in the sagas.
The Parks Canada excavations suggested that the L’Anse aux Meadows site was mainly used to repair ships or build new ones with materials from the nearby forests.
It is likely that the site was used as a base camp for ship repair as the Vikings explored other regions that were further south. This idea was supported by the butternuts and worked-wood from butternut trees that were found during excavations at the site. Butternut trees are not found in the Newfoundland region, and are only found in regions that are further south such as New Brunswick. Therefore, it is likely that the Vikings traveled to regions further south along the Gulf of St. Lawrence in search of materials and then returned to their camp at L’Anse aux Meadows for ship repairs or to weather the winter. This coincides with the sagas’ descriptions of Vinland because areas such as New Brunswick are known for wild grapes. So while L’Anse aux Meadows proved that Vikings had been in North America, it is not likely that the site is the famous Vinland of the sagas, but rather a base camp that allowed Vikings to explore Vinland country. While the true boundaries of Vinland are still not known, it is clear that the settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows was not occupied for very long. There is little evidence of domestic activities at the site and no evidence of storage areas or stables for animals. In addition, there is no evidence of Viking burials. While the reasons for their departure are unknown, evidence shows that
the Vikings left L’Anse aux Meadows and the greater Vinland region after a short time of exploration. The L’Anse aux Meadows archaeological site is an incredibly significant discovery because it provides conclusive evidence of an 11th century Viking settlement in North America, 500 years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. It has re-shaped the way that we think about the history of European presence in North America. The site also provides archaeologists and historians with new insights into the history of human migration across the world. Today, you can visit L’Anse aux Meadows and tour a reconstructed Viking encampment, listen to Icelandic sagas, and view artifacts from excavations of the site. This World Heritage Site allows us to learn about the incredible history of the Vikings as well as their settlement in North America. The site can also provide archaeologists with precious clues as to the possible location of other North American Viking settlements that may be discovered in the future.
that had been built during the 11th century, 500 hundred years before Christopher Columbus made his voyage to North America. Legends of an 11th century Viking settlement in North America had been around for a long time, beginning with tales from the famous Icelandic sagas. These sagas were ancient Viking stories that had been shared by word of mouth for years until they were later written down in the 13th century. The Vikings were a group of people from southern Scandinavia that became well-known in history for their raids on Europe between 793-1066 A.D. The Vikings shared religious beliefs, economies, and a Germanic language called Old Norse. Not only did Vikings explore and raid Europe, they also used their remarkable sea-faring skills to travel across the North Atlantic and establish farming settlements in Iceland and Greenland. It is from Icelandic Viking stories that historians first learned of a possible Viking settlement in North America.
Two Icelandic sagas of Erik the Red and Bjarni Herjolfsson describe the Viking discovery of North America and a land they called Vinland in 1000 A.D.
In the sagas, Vinland was described as a land with wild grapes, warm winters, and plenty of timber. This timber was important for the Vikings because Greenland did not provide any wood for building. The sagas depict voyages to this region by Vikings such as Leif Eriksson and Thorfinn Karlsefn who built houses, explored the region in search of timber, furs, and grapes, and traded and battled with the aboriginal people that they called skraelings. The Vikings spent several summers exploring the region that they called Vinland before they eventually returned to Greenland, possibly due to these clashes with aboriginal people. The location and even existence of the Viking’s Vinland had been debated for years, but the discovery of archaeological evidence of a Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows provided proof of a Viking settlement in North America and opened up discussions about the possible location of the famous …show more content…
Vinland. The L’Anse aux Meadows site was discovered in 1960 by Helge Ingstad, a Norwegian explorer, and his wife Anne Stine Ingstad, an archaeologist. The couple had been searching for evidence of Viking settlements in North America, traveling along the coast of New England and working their way northward into Canada. When they reached the northern part of Newfoundland, a local fisherman named George Decker led them to an area with sod mounds that the local people had thought were possibly Native American mounds. From 1960-1968, Anne Stine Ingstad led a team of international archaeologists in excavations at this site and the excavations revealed conclusive evidence that this was a site of Viking settlement in North America. The excavations revealed evidence of eight buildings with sod walls and roofs over wooden frames that were similar to Viking buildings in Greenland and Iceland from the 11th century. The excavations also revealed evidence of iron-work as several iron boat rivets were found. Iron-work was not practiced by Native Americans until after 1500 A.D., indicating that this site was indeed European. The archaeologists also found several other Viking artifacts including a bronze ring headed pin, a stone oil lamp, a small stone spinning wheel, a bone needle for knitting, and a whetstone for sharpening needles and small scissors. The presence of artifacts such as a spinning wheel and bone needle revealed that Viking women had also been present at the settlement because they were responsible for the task of sewing.
Parks Canada, the organization who currently operates the site, continued archaeological excavations from 1973-1976. These excavations revealed three complexes in the settlement, each with a dwelling and workshop for craftsmen such as woodworkers. The excavations also explored the peat bog near the settlement and found more evidence of iron-work as well as wood-work. The archaeologists discovered pieces of wood that revealed smoothing and trimming with metal tools, reinforcing the idea of Vikings shipping timber from North America back to Greenland as had been mentioned in the sagas.
The Parks Canada excavations suggested that the L’Anse aux Meadows site was mainly used to repair ships or build new ones with materials from the nearby forests.
It is likely that the site was used as a base camp for ship repair as the Vikings explored other regions that were further south. This idea was supported by the butternuts and worked-wood from butternut trees that were found during excavations at the site. Butternut trees are not found in the Newfoundland region, and are only found in regions that are further south such as New Brunswick. Therefore, it is likely that the Vikings traveled to regions further south along the Gulf of St. Lawrence in search of materials and then returned to their camp at L’Anse aux Meadows for ship repairs or to weather the winter. This coincides with the sagas’ descriptions of Vinland because areas such as New Brunswick are known for wild grapes. So while L’Anse aux Meadows proved that Vikings had been in North America, it is not likely that the site is the famous Vinland of the sagas, but rather a base camp that allowed Vikings to explore Vinland country. While the true boundaries of Vinland are still not known, it is clear that the settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows was not occupied for very long. There is little evidence of domestic activities at the site and no evidence of storage areas or stables for animals. In addition, there is no evidence of Viking burials. While the reasons for their departure are unknown, evidence shows that
the Vikings left L’Anse aux Meadows and the greater Vinland region after a short time of exploration. The L’Anse aux Meadows archaeological site is an incredibly significant discovery because it provides conclusive evidence of an 11th century Viking settlement in North America, 500 years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. It has re-shaped the way that we think about the history of European presence in North America. The site also provides archaeologists and historians with new insights into the history of human migration across the world. Today, you can visit L’Anse aux Meadows and tour a reconstructed Viking encampment, listen to Icelandic sagas, and view artifacts from excavations of the site. This World Heritage Site allows us to learn about the incredible history of the Vikings as well as their settlement in North America. The site can also provide archaeologists with precious clues as to the possible location of other North American Viking settlements that may be discovered in the future.