At the tip of the great northern peninsula, discover the reconstructed viking settlement at lanse aux meadows. Parks canada is doing its part to contain the novel coronavirus and reduce risks to employees and visitors. Lanse aux meadows was an unusual settlement, atypical in many ways, explained denecka burden, manager at norstead. Visit lanse aux meadows national historic site on your. Gilded means that this piece of bronze had a gold coating. From there they explored atlantic canada in several directions.
Intriguing to read information not included in our history books. This signifies that a viking of importance was present at the lanse aux meadows site, since only a. If you love history and want to experience the norse settlement as it really was then visit this unesco. The excavation of a norse settlement in lanse aux meadows, newfoundland hardcover september 1, 2001.
Peel back layers of the earths history as you explore the phenomenal landscapes of gros morne national park. The viking trail begins at the town of deer lake on the transcanada highway route 1. Lanse aux meadows national historic site, a unesco world heritage site, is the only authenticated norse site in north america. Discover the international archaeological significance of lanse aux meadows and its powerful place in the history of the human migrations. L anse aux meadows national historic site, a unesco world heritage site, is the only authenticated norse site in north america. Lanse aux meadows is a beautiful place and the vikings sagas in iceland, greenland and vinland are all entertaining. Hamilton, the macmillan book of canadian place names, 2 e. French fishermen maintained a seasonal shore station in the area from the 1700s until 1904. It was here that the vikings came ashore more than 1,000 years agothe first europeans to step foot in north america. The viking site at lanse aux meadows is located on the northernmost tip of the northern peninsula of newfoundland.
Leifr eiriksson leif ericsson and his band of norse settlers was latecomers to lanse aux meadows, arriving here around a. The author was very complete in her discussion of the archeological procedures, and explained all the science and history in terms a layperson me could understand. This is a monograph on what this author believes lanse aux meadows means in the overall history of vinland. Lanse aux meadows is still the only widely accepted evidence of precolumbian contact with north america. Beyond that, there is little evidence of viking presence in. The excavation of a norse settlement in lanse aux meadows, newfoundland. We recommend booking lanse aux meadows national historic site tours ahead of time to secure your spot. Lanse aux meadows national historic site the health and safety of canadians, visitors, and parks canada team members is of the utmost importance to the agency. Conventional history is constantly being rewritten as new evidence is uncovered, and previous conclusions rethought.
Lanse aux meadows national historic site 2020 what to. The helluland stone slab land looks like the baffin island, the markland forestland is similar to labrador and the vinland wineland could be the island of newfoundland where the lanse aux meadows was discovered. This pin was the most significant find at lanse aux meadows. Discovery could rewrite history of vikings in new world. This is farther out than anything he has ever done before, said birgitta wallace, a parks canada archaeologist who devoted 20 years of her career to lanse aux meadows. Discover lanse aux meadows in saint lunairegriquet, newfoundland and labrador. Thought to date back to the year ce, the ruins of the norse or viking settlement have been widely accepted as proof of european cultures crossing the atlantic and contacting indigenous peoples before the times of columbus.
Lanse aux meadows is an archaeological site in newfoundland, canada, where the first evidence was discovered of vikings norse in north america. In completing the circle we used an engaging host to debunk the many myths associated with vikings and tell the epic journey of how viking explorers came to lanse aux meadows, newfoundland on a. In 1960 norwegian explorer helge ingstad and his wife, archaeologist anne stine, discovered the remains of a norse village in at lanse aux meadows on the northernmost tip of newfoundland in the canadian province of newfoundland and labrador. Do you need to book in advance to visit lanse aux meadows national historic site. Your knowledgeable interpreter will explore the importance of norse expansion to the west and point out how the sites archaeological excavations help us better understand norse travels, trade and encampments. Explore an ancient viking settlement at the unesco world heritage site lanse aux meadows, one of canadas 50 places of a lifetime. This article explores the idea that lanse aux meadows could be the gateway to the viking vinland settlement mentioned in the scandinavian sagas and possibly founded by leif ericson. Lanse aux meadows is an archaeological site on the northernmost tip of the great northern.
Another of his points is that lanse aux meadows is probably not the settlement. The colony only lasted three to 10 years before it failed. Lanse aux meadows, site on the northern tip of newfoundland island, newfoundland and labrador, canada, of the first known european settlement in the new world. This was the first conclusive proof that greenlandic norsemen had found a way across the atlantic ocean to north america, roughly 500 years before. Lanse aux meadows national historic site newfoundland. Calling their landing place vinland wineland, they built a temporary settlement at lanse aux meadows in modernday newfoundland. It is the piece that proved that the settlement was indeed a norse settlement. This canadian history for kids exclusive looks at lanse aux meadows on june 27, 1975, prime minister pierre elliott trudeau cuts the ribbon and. Lanse aux meadows national historic site 2020 all you. Lanse aux meadows national historic site tripsavvy. After my visit to the lanse aux meadows site, this book was exactly what i was looking for additional details on the archeology and history of the site. The excavation of a norse settlement in lanse aux meadows. Oral history project 2014 figure 3 helge ingstad at warrens island lanse aux meadows in background my first trip to lanse aux meadows was in 1963 and i participated in five expeditions.
Lanse aux meadows, they observe, was a site used for iron production and ship maintenance, providing evidence that the explorers, knowing their. Norse explorers established a large base there about the year. Lanse aux meadows lanse aux meadows, on the northeastern tip of newfoundland, canada, may have been the first european settlement in north america. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic. The modern village of l anse aux meadows was established by william decker around 1835 on medee bay, about 1 km north of the archeological site. Native americans information website native american heritage. The premise may seem dull visiting a bog in the middle of nowhere and staring at the spot where a couple of old sod houses once stood but somehow this site, lying in a forlorn sweep of land, turns out to be one of newfoundlands most stirring attractions.
Book your tickets online for lanse aux meadows national historic site, lanse aux meadows. Lanse aux meadows and the viking discovery of north america vikings traveled to the new world centuries before columbus, setting up the establishment that is lanse aux meadows. American journeys background on the vinland history of the. Archaeological evidence of a norse presence was discovered at lanse aux meadows in the 1960s. In ad, the vikings made it to north america, establishing a base camp in newfoundland at a site called lanse aux meadows. The norse settlers werent the only people to find lanse aux meadows a good place to live and fish. The first conclusive proof that norsemen reached north. It is the only confirmed norse or viking site in or near north america outside of the settlements found in greenland. There are at least a halfdozen other brief occupations in the baffin island region that appear to also be norse sites of the same age, ce. Lanse aux meadows lanse aux meadows is the name of an archaeological site in newfoundland, where norse explorers landed and interacted with the beothuk tribe who they called skraelings around ad. The author of the vinland history of the flat island book, also known as the greenlanders saga, is unknown, as is much about the vikings who came to north america norse expeditions, circa. From iceland vikings in america the reykjavik grapevine. Lanse aux meadows historical site norstead viking village lanse aux meadows norstead. Lanse aux meadows is significant in that it proves the norse were the first europeans to land in north america, some five centuries before the spanish.
Lanse aux meadows this reconstructed viking village is on the isolated northern tip of newfoundlands northern peninsula. Lanse aux meadows site, newfoundland, newfoundland and. Vikings, tv ad, newfoundland and labrador tourism hq. He supports the idea the vinland still waits to be found and he supports. Anthony, turn onto route 436 and drive for 30 km to lanse aux meadows. Reenactment of the viking landing at lanse aux meadows, newfoundland, canada, 2000.
At the very end of route 436 lies lanse aux meadows, 48 kilometers from st. Today, your visit will transport you back to where vikings once stood. Faced with harsh conditions in their greenland home, a group of vikings took the reins of fate into their own hands. A viking village and port of trade is a nonprofit organization that was created to take history out of the exhibit case and place it in the hands of visitors. Lanse aux meadows national historic site all you need. Tours and programs lanse aux meadows national historic site. For keepsakes with a nordic twist, the heritage shop of lanse aux meadows stocks historical books, knitwear, pottery, and music during the. Learn about precolumbian european cultures in the americas at lanse aux meadows national historic site, a world heritage site. An ancient viking village in north america that predates columbus by 500 years. By the tenth century, norwegian settlers had migrated from island to island across the north atlantic, settling first in iceland, then in greenland, and lastly in canada. Lanse aux meadows saint lunairegriquet, newfoundland. Across the road from lanse aux meadows, i learned more about the viking age at norstead, a nonprofit center that tells a larger story about the time period.
At the viking encampment, you can try blacksmithing or weaving, and talk to characters who will bring the viking history to life. Tales of vikings travelling to north america are contained in ancient norse stories known as the vinland sagas. William decker was the grandfather of george decker, who led helge ingstad to the site. Newfoundlands viking past at lanse aux meadows moon. Lanse aux meadows national historical site of canada. Leif erikson and vikings in canada all about canadian history lanse aux meadows lanse aux meadows is the only confirmed norse site in north america outside greenland helge marcus ingstad in he discovered the remains of what later proved to be a viking settlement at lanse aux meadows at the northernmost tip of newfoundl. With incredible luck, skill and fortitude, they discovered lands filled with a profusion of wood, wild game and fertile land. Anthony and as far as you can drive up the northern peninsula. Graeme davis sets out to answer this question in this book. Excavations began in 1961 under the direction of ingstads wife, anne stine ingstad, a professional archaeologist, and continued until 1968. The discovery has validated the viking sagas as important historical documents and has enabled archaeologists to understand the nature of the norse outpost and its links with greenland.