Week 4 vikings in america

September 12th:The Peopling of the New World:

Who ELSE Discovered Americabefore Columbus?

University of KentuckyArchaeology Roundtable

Friday, September 14th, 4:00 pm,Lafferty Hall, room 108

The Mississippian Boom and Bust:A Demographic Perspective on the Late

Pre-Columbian Period in the Lower Midwest

Dr. Jeremy Wilson

Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

A Presentation by:

Ancestors of today’s Native AmericansCame from Asia…

--shovel shaped incisors--genetic evidence

…But we don’t know exactly how

Siberia Iberia

People from what is now Spain and Francemay have made it to Americas long ago…

…But they died out or did not stay forvery long

vs.

Olof Ohman

Kensington Runestone, Kensington ,Minnesota

Kensington Runestone Norse Runes

Kensington Runestone

Kensington Runestone

Funny runestone prank:

“John Doe went east, year 1953,and discovered Europe. Holy Smokes!”

10th century runestone , nearKarlevi, southern Sweden

(the runes have been colored red inmodern times to make them easy to see)

Kensington Runestone

Viking cemetery atLindholm, Denmark.A.D. 400-1,000.

10th century runestone , nearKarlevi, southern Sweden

(the runes have been colored red inmodern times to make them easy to see)

says: 8 Goths and 22 Norwegians on an expeditionfrom Vinland. While we were fishing, ten of ourmen were killed. Year 1362.

Kensington Runestone

870 AD985 AD

Eric the Red

(Eric Thorvaldson)

Viking ships from the time of exploration

•Vikings ships were designed for many purposes, including rowing and sailing.•The three Vikings ships that are well -known come from Norwegian burial mounds that lie near Oslo Fjord at Gokstad, Oseberg, and Tune.•Left above: photo of the Gokstad ship with oar-rudder mounted on starboard quarter, 16 oar holes and rotted mask probably 40 feet high.•Left bottom: hull of merchant ship found in Roskilde Fjord.•Right: Photo of Oseberg ship found in 1903 illustrates lavish richness, not designed for the open sea but instead probably for pleasure cruising in a sheltered fjord. Simpson 1969.

The Gaia, a replica Viking ship, enters Newfoundland’s water in a reenactment of the voyage of Leif Eiriksson in 1991. From Ingstad 2001.

870 AD985 AD

Eiric Thorvaldsson

(Eric the Red)

Barney?

870 AD985 AD

Eiric Thorvaldsson

(Eric the Red)

Leif Ericson

(after Barney)

Helluland(Baffin Island)

Markland(Labrador)

Vinland(Newfoundland)

1) Think about it

Think, Pair, Share

Let’s use the scientific method:

In other words, if the Kensignton Runestone were authentic,what other information would we expect to find

-We have a hypothesis (the Kensington Runestone was carved in 1362 by Norse)-What expectation should be met if the hypothesis were correct?

3) Tell the class about it

2) “Hi, how are ya?” …introduce yourself to your neighbor and talk about it

19th century Scandinavian axes

Example of a Medieval halberd

Example of a Medieval halberd

Swords

(sorry, I have no images of Scandinavian swords)

Kensington Runestone Chiseling (used on Kensington stone)

Pecking(used by Norse)

Newport Tower, Newport, Rhode Island

These “documents” have been completely misread--Documents suggest the Tower predates the founding of Newport in 1639

Actually quite similar to a tower near where thebuilder (Benedict Arnold) grew up in England

--Stylistically similar to pre-1639 buildings

Chestertonmill, EnglandNewport tower

Newport Tower is said to be made by Vikings because:

--Built according to a Norse unit of measure: the Rhineland Norse foot

Rather easy to build (would a few Norse travelers have more manpower than Newport colony

These “documents” have been completely misread--Documents suggest the Tower predates the founding of Newport in 1639

--Newport was a fledgling colony…not enough labor to build it

Despite the name, this unit of measure was common in Scotland, rare in Norway

Newport Tower is said to be made by Vikings because:

Actually quite similar to a tower near where thebuilder (Benedict Arnold) grew up in England

But if it really were Norse, what else would we expect archeologically?

Some Norse artifacts near it!

Excavations (1948-1949, and 2006-2008) show that earliest artifacts were allBritish colonial artifacts from the 1600s.

--Stylistically similar to pre-1639 buildings

The Real Viking Settlement in America: L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland

Utilizing historical documents such as the Viking Sagas, researchers looked for the route to Vinland, assuming itmust be far south where grapes would grow.

At L’Anse aux Meadows,Instad met George Decker (above), a fisherman from who knew where there were some old house ruins.

With the help of maps,Helge Ingstad (at leftwith wife Anne Ingstad) realized that Vinlandmay not be as far southand began searchingin Newfoundland.

This included the fishingvillage of L’Anse auxMeadows.

870 AD985 AD

Eiric Thorvaldsson

(Eric the Red)

Leif Ericson

(after Barney)

Helluland(Baffin Island)

Markland(Labrador)

Vinland(Newfoundland)

•Systematic excavations of the site continued from 1961 to 1968 with seven expeditions assisted by Sweden, Iceland, Canada, the U.S.A. and Norway. From Ingstad 2001.

Eight complete house structures and one fragmentary house structure were uncovered. From Ingstad 2001.

The outlines of the houses were clearly in evidence (photo house-site F) as were numerous features such as the cooking pit from house site B (photo right top) and the ember pit in house site B (photo right bottom-similar to ember pits on Greenland).

Bronze ring-headed pin made in Norway, found at house site A, L’Anse aux Meadows.

Note archaeologicalcontext!

Artifacts recovered from house site A include --4 fragmentary iron rivets --iron nails --13 fragments of iron --6 lumps of slag (from a foundry at the site)

Artifacts recovered from the excavations are, not surprisingly, nearly identical to artifacts used at the same time in Greenland, such as these spindles whorls for spinning thread.

Other neat stuff found:

2 pieces of red jasper (from Ireland and Greenland),

A pig boneAn arrowhead of the Dorset Eskimo type,

A boatshed

The norse were smelting iron and bronze. NativeAmericans did not smelt metals.

Numerous radiocarbon dates (some from the ember box) at the site from charcoal, bone and turf from the houses and features yield a mean date of A.D. 1000 (A.D. 920 ± 30) which agrees with the Viking Sagas which indicate that voyages to Vinland occurred at this time.

Note that the settlement did not last very long(it lasted until 1100 at the latest).

Greenland abandoned around 1400 AD.

L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Coin minted in Norway, during the reign of King Olaf Kyrre, from 1067 to 1093,found in a Native American ruin in Maine that dates to 1000 – 1200 AD

what did the Norse get in return for this kind of trade?

Wood (to send to Greenland)

Walrus tusks (to send to Norway)

Polar bear fur (to send to Norway)

Walnuts and butternuts