L'Anse Aux Meadows, Viking Site in Newfoundland

An Archaeological Site Which May Prove Early Viking Settlement

Sep 7, 2009

L'Anse Aux Meadows, in the Canadian province of Newfoundland, is an important site, which many experts believe proves Vikings settled in Canada around 1,000 years ago.

The presence of the site and what was found there appear to show that Vikings crossed the Atlantic, probably via Iceland and Greenland, and explored and colonised part of Canada and America around 500 years earlier than Christopher Columbus.

Archaeological Proof that Vikings Were in Canada and America

The site at L’Anse Aux Meadows, on the northern edge of Newfoundland, was first explored in 1960 by Norwegian husband and wife team Helge and Anne Ingstad.

The village, is believed to be a Norse settlement, because it mirrors very closely, settlements in European Norse lands around the year 1,000, the date of the site at L’Anse Aux Meadows.

The site consists of eight buildings, which were dwellings and store houses, most of which were built on a timber frame with a turf roof. Although investigations show that the site was occupied for only a couple of decades, there is evidence of plenty of activity during this period. The remains of the workshops have revealed evidence of an iron smithy, perhaps used for weapon repair, boat repair and building facilities, and a carpentry workshop.

The Viking Settlement at L’Anse Aux Meadows

The settlement at L’Anse Aux Meadows may have been described in the famous fourteenth century Icelandic Sagas, the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Eric the Red. It is Icelandic legends and sagas which first led to the idea that Vikings may have reached America long before Christopher Columbus in the fifteenth century.

Despite over thirty years of excavations, experts still cannot fully agree on exactly what type of settlement L’Anse Aux Meadows was. The type of dwellings, workshops and materials found on site seem to suggest that this was more of a temporary place to stay, than a fully-fledged community, and that groups of people may have lived here only long enough to fortify themselves for exploring further into Canada and America, perhaps staying there during winter, before moving on. No burials have ever been found here, which does seem to suggest that this was not a permanent place to live.

L’Anse Aux Meadows in Modern Times

Because of its archaeological and historical importance, L’Anse Aux Meadows was named as a World Heritage Site in 1978. Nowadays, the site is part of Parks Canada and visitors can explore three reconstructed Norse buildings.

The copyright of the article L'Anse Aux Meadows, Viking Site in Newfoundland in Early Middle Ages is owned by Rachel Bellerby. Permission to republish L'Anse Aux Meadows, Viking Site in Newfoundland in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.