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The Viking Discovery of America : The Excavation of a Norse Settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland
The Viking Discovery of America The Excavation of a Norse Settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows Newfoundland Author:Anne Stine Ingstad, Helge Ingstad Faced with crowded and harsh conditions in their Greenland home, a group of Vikings took the reins of Fate into their own hands. With incredible luck, skill and fortitude, they discovered lands filled with a profusion of wood, wild game and fertile land. In the sagas that grew from this discovery, the lands were given names that resonated... more » with hope and promise. Almost one thousand years later, a husband and wife team united their considerable talents. Intrigued by allusions in the ancient sagas to fabled Vinland, they considered the scholarship on Viking culture and technology: they studied maps: and they researched intensively the prominent theories on Vinland’s location. And finally their efforts bore fruit when a remote Newfoundland peninsula yielded up a soapstone spindle-whorl, a Viking ring pin, and what had to be the overgrown remnants of over a dozen Viking buildings. Centuries of historical thought were overturned as it became obvious that Columbus’ discovery of America had been scooped-over for centuries before he was born. The Viking Discovery of America unites both of these stories. Entwining fascinating details about shipbuilding, navigation, culture and lifestyle together with an in-depth account of the detective process. The Viking Discovery of America brings to life the Amazing true tale of a voyage once thought impossible.« less