how long did the viking settlement last in greenland

What happened to the Viking settlement of Greenland?

What happened? The Vikings, a group of seafaring Norse people from mainly Denmark, Sweden and Norway in Scandinavia, established settlements in Greenland in the late 10th century (map below). These settlements were occupied for about 500 years before disappearing somewhat mysteriously in the middle of the 15th century. Archaeologists propose two main hypotheses for the ]

Did the Vikings discover Greenland?

There has been no evidence discovered that Greenland was known to Europeans until the 10th century, when Icelandic Vikings settled on its southwestern coast, which seems to have been uninhabited when they arrived. Although Greenland is still a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it has enjoyed home rule since 1979.

When did the Vikings first discover England?

Viking activity in the British Isles occurred during the Early Middle Ages, the 8th to the 11th centuries, when Norsemen from Scandinavia travelled to Great Britain and Ireland to settle, trade or raid. Those who came to the British Isles have been generally referred to as Vikings, but some scholars debate whether the term Viking represented all Norse settlers or just those who raided. At the start of the Early Medieval period, Norse kingdoms in Scandinavia had developed trade links reaching as

When did Erik the Red discovered Greenland?

When Erik—who had been nicknamed “Erik the Red” during his youth because of his red hair—was similarly exiled from Iceland about 980, he decided to explore land to the west . Leaving in about 982 from Snæfellsjökull, one of the westernmost points of Iceland, Erik and a small group of men reached land on the opposite shore of Greenland, a land that had been skirted by the Norwegian Gunnbjörn Ulfsson earlier in the 10th century.

Where are the Viking settlements?

The two Viking settlements in southern Greenland, known as the Western and Eastern Settlements (Kintisch, 2016).

What did the Vikings rely on?

The Vikings had to rely more heavily on what they caught from the ocean for food and less on their farms. This is evidenced by the ratios of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bones found in Norse graveyards. Terrestrial animals have different ratios of these isotopes than marine animals, and these ratios are passed on to the people that eat them. The bones show that over time, the Norse ate more marine protein, and less terrestrial protein.

What happened?

These settlements were occupied for about 500 years before disappearing somewhat mysteriously in the middle of the 15th century.

Why did the value of ivory fall?

The value of ivory plummeted. The Vikings likely originally settled in Greenland to hunt walruses for ivory tusks, which they sold back in Norway. In the 14th century, ivory from Russian walruses and African elephants, which was cheaper and easier to obtain, flooded the market, causing the prices of Greenland ivory (image below) to fall, destabilizing a large part of the Viking economy.

How did the Black Death affect Greenland?

While the plague did not actually reach Greenland, it killed about half of Norway’s population, and because Greenland relied heavily on Norway for imported goods, this affected Greenland too .

What caused the Little Ice Age?

The changes in climate were part of the onset of the Little Ice Age, a period of widespread cooling and a drop in average global temperatures from around 1300 to 1850. Natural fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), may have also been responsible for bringing cold and dry air to Greenland at this time.

Did the climate cause the Vikings to fall?

Climate alone did not cause the downfall of Greenland’s Vikings. After all, they remained there for about two centuries after the climate started to cool. However, a cooling climate was an additional obstacle that they had to face – one that may have just pushed them over the edge.

What did the Norsemen do when they arrived in Greenland?

When the Norsemen arrived in Greenland, they had the island and its waters to themselves. Now they had to contend with the Inuit, who were competing with them for animal resources. This was especially true in the Nordseta, the Greenlanders' traditional summer hunting grounds 240 miles north of the Eastern Settlement.

Who came to Greenland after Norse traders ceased to arrive?

Because of its location, Herjolfsnes had been the first port of call for ships from Iceland and northern Europe. Archaeologists wondered who might have come to Greenland after Norse traders ceased to arrive. The most likely answer was English sea rovers or Basque whalers.

What was the date of the Burgundian cap?

The archaeological date for the "Burgundian cap", set at A.D. 1500, has since been over-turned by radiocarbon dating. The new date for the cap is around 1300, suggesting that it reflected Nordic rather than southern European fashion. Such high-crowned caps are mentioned in Icelandic sagas from 1200-1300 and have been found as examples of women's fashion from this period. Archaeologists initially questioned the feasibility of the theory of an attack on the Greenlanders by Basques, believing the cap to be exemplary of Basque-influenced fashion, which seemed to preclude the possibility that the Norse settlers and the Basques were enemies. The re-dated cap is no longer evidence of friendly Greenlander-Basque relations, and the Basques are once again possible culprits in the mystery of the disappearance of the Greenlanders. English and German pirates also made several brutal attacks on Iceland in the fifteenth century; possibly they struck Greenland as well, though the new dates for the Greenlanders' clothing suggests minimal, if any, contact with Europeans.

What was Erik's farm?

Excavations of Erik's farm, Brattahlid ("Steep Slope"), in 1932 by Danish archaeologists (Greenland, which became Danish in 1814, is today a self-governing possession of Denmark), revealed the remains of a church, originally surrounded by a turf wall to keep farm animals out, and a great hall where settlers cooked in fire pits, ate their meals, recited sagas, and played board games. Behind the church they found ruins of a cow barn, with partitions between the stalls still in place, one of them the shoulder blade of a whale--a sign of Viking practicality in a treeless land where wood was always in short supply.

How did life go sour for the Greenlanders?

Life went sour for the Greenlanders in other ways. The number of Norwegian merchant vessels arriving in their ports, though only one or two a year in the best of times, dropped until none came at all. This meant that the islanders were cut off from the major source of iron and tools needed for the smooth running of their farms and the construction and maintenance of their boats. Norway's long dominance of the northern sea trade withered as Germany's Hanseatic League rose to ascendancy. Although the league's bigger ships could carry more cargo than Norwegian vessels, they apparently never anchored in Greenland. The dangerous ocean crossing would have put them at too much risk for too little gain, especially now that elephant ivory, once difficult to obtain, could be gotten easily from Africa and replaced walrus ivory in prominence.

Where is the graveyard in Greenland?

A church graveyard at Herjolfsnes on the southernmost tip of Greenland sheds further light on the final days of the Eastern Settlement. Reports reached Danish archaeologists in the 1920s that the cemetery was being washed away by the sea and that bones and scraps of clothing from the graves were strewn on the beach.

Why were some of the rooms in the Western Settlement used as latrines?

Some of the rooms had been used as latrines, possibly out of habit or because the occupants were reluctant to venture out into the searing cold. An ice core drilled from the island's massive icecap between 1992 and 1993 shows a decided cooling off in the Western Settlement during the mid-fourteenth century.

Who came to Greenland after the disappearance of the Norse population?

Following the disappearance of the Norse population, expeditions from England and Norway came to Greenland throughout the 16th and 17th centuries and from the 17th and 18th centuries it was primarily the European whalers who came into contact with the Inuits.

What is the history of Greenland?

History of Greenland, a story of Inuits and Vikings - [Visit Greenland!] History has a tangible presence. Traditional ways of life, the art of storytelling and handicrafts form apart of modern society.

How did the hardy Inuit survive?

The hardy Inuit cultures have survived in Greenland by inventing and developing essential tools and implements that have been adapted and refined over generations, and which are in fact still in use today.

How many different cultures have immigrated to Greenland?

No less than six different Inuit cultures have immigrated in several waves. Greenland’s population today is descended from the last immigration, the Thule culture, which arrived here in around the 9th century AD.

Where are the Norse settlements?

Many of the Norse settlers’ ruins are still visible on plains and mountainsides in South Greenland and at Nuuk. They are therefore popular destinations that attract tourists wishing to gain an insight into an exciting culture from the Viking period.

When did the first people arrive in Greenland?

The first people to set foot in Greenland arrived around 4-5000 years ago from the North American continent via Canada when the sea froze in the narrow strait at Thule in northern Greenland. No less than six different Inuit cultures have immigrated in several waves.

When did the Norse disappear?

The Norse population disappeared from Greenland in around 1500 AD for reasons that have never been fully explained – although countless well-founded theories about their disappearance still flourish today. Many of the Norse settlers’ ruins are still visible on plains and mountainsides in South Greenland and at Nuuk.

What is the most important Viking settlement in Greenland?

Lush grass now covers most of what was once the most important Viking settlement in Greenland. Gardar, as the Norse called it, was the official residence of their bishop. A few foundation stones are all that remain of Gardar’s cathedral, the pride of Norse Greenland, with stained glass and a heavy bronze bell. Far more impressive now are the nearby ruins of an enormous barn. Vikings from Sweden to Greenland measured their status by the cattle they owned, and the Greenlanders spared no effort to protect their livestock. The barn’s Stonehenge-like partition and the thick turf and stone walls that sheltered prized animals during brutal winters have endured longer than Gardar’s most sacred architecture.

How many Vikings were there in Greenland?

When they did, they found the ruins of the Viking settlements but no trace of the inhabitants. The fate of Greenland’s Vikings—who never numbered more than 2,500 —has intrigued and confounded generations of archaeologists.

Why did the Vikings hunt walrus tusks?

Smiarowski, McGovern and other archaeologists now suspect that the Vikings first traveled to Greenland not in search of new land to farm— a motive mentioned in some of the old sagas—but to acquire walrus-tusk ivory, one of medieval Europe’s most valuable trade items. Who, they ask, would risk crossing hundreds of miles of arctic seas just to farm in conditions far worse than those at home? As a low-bulk, high-value item, ivory would have been an irresistible lure for seafaring traders.

Why did the Norse come to Greenland?

Researcher Konrad Smiarowski believes the Norse came to Greenland for walrus ivory, not farmland. Lennart Larsen / National Museum of Denmark

How old is the Viking church in Iceland?

The 700-year-old Viking church in Hvalsey was mentioned in a 1424 letter sent to Iceland—the last anyone heard from Viking Greenland. Ciril Jazbec

What did the Norse people import?

For all their intrepidness, though, the Norse were far from self-sufficient, and imported grains, iron, wine and other essentials. Ivory was their currency. “Norse society in Greenland couldn’t survive without trade with Europe,” says Arneborg, “and that’s from day one.”

What were the problems of Greenland?

But eventually, the conventional narrative continues, they had problems. Overgrazing led to soil erosion. A lack of wood—Greenland has very few trees, mostly scrubby birch and willow in the southernmost fjords—prevented them from building new ships or repairing old ones. But the greatest challenge—and the coup de grâce—came when the climate began to cool, triggered by an event on the far side of the world.

How long did it take for the Greenland Vikings to find the settlements?

It took more than 300 years before the location of the two settlements was finally found. But there were only ruins, and they showed very little evidence of what had happened to the people. The discussions continue to this day. Some blame the worsening climate of the middle ages. Others give the cause as ecocide, with depletion of the local farming land and fishing grounds. English pirates have been blamed, or wars with the Inuit population. Speculation is rife and facts are few. The failure of the Greenland Vikings does not bode well for Musk on Mars, and it is important that we understand how isolation can lead to fragility, and finally to disappearance. It turns out that there were two extinction events. Were the triggers volcanic?

Who was the first settlers of Greenland?

One of the original settlers of Greenland was called Herjolfr. He had left Iceland while his son Bjarni Herjofsson, was away in Norway. Bjarni went looking for his father, but wasn’t sure where this Greenland was. Driven too far west in a storm, he sighted a land with trees and mountains.

Why did Eirik the Red settle in Greenland?

Eirik the Red (a colourful character) discovered the habitable regions on the southwest coast around 982 AD, only a few decades after Eldgja. He had been exiled from Iceland for bad behaviour (and that said something). Eirik decided to make it home, and starting his own settlement here. This required finding more would-be colonists. He called it ‘Greenland’ to make it sound more attractive, in order to entice people in Iceland to come with him to a new and empty world. The origin of the name was soon forgotten. Adam of Bremen, in 1072, wrote “ The people there are green from the salt water, whence, too, that region gets its name. The people live in the same manner as the Icelanders except that they are fiercer and trouble seafarers by their piratical attacks.“ The people who made Greenland their home were as rough as the country they lived in.

What was the most isolated European colony in the world?

And so Vikings moved on from Iceland to Greenland and turned it into the most isolated European colony in the world. This was a surprising move. Greenland has the reputation of being a glaciated, uninhabitable wasteland. The glaciers are kilometers thick and cover almost all of the country.

Why did Greenland have no boats?

Because of the shortage of wood, Greenland eventually lacked the boats needed to trade their ivory themselves. They depended on visiting traders. In later years, one Greenland boat which managed to reach Iceland caused a bit of a sensation, by being so small and because it lacked an anchor.

Why did the Vikings travel to Newfoundland?

The travels to Newfoundland had a clear economic benefit. The Vikings needed wood for their boats and their houses, and there were trees at L’Anse-aux-Meadows. Iron too could be obtained from this region. There was also hunting, but the winters at L’Anse-aux-Meadows were quite severe (more so than at their homes in Greenland) and the game was scarce. This is one reason why there may have another camp further south. Around 100 people would have stayed at L’Anse-aux-Meadows.

How many people were in the Greenland migration?

Around 985 AD, 25 boats went on the migration, each carrying perhaps 30 to 40 people. Only 14 boats arrived: the remainder turned back before arrival, and some may have been lost at sea. Most of the around 500 people who came settled in a region just beyond the southern tip of Greenland. This was where Eirik had spend the three years of his banishment. It became known as the Eastern Settlement. (This unfortunate name caused serious problems later.) But 2 or 3 of the arriving boats moved on, and went further up the coast, 400 kilometers and another 6 days of travel away. This became the Western Settlement. These were the two main regions that were (somewhat) suitable for farming.

What Happened?

See more on science.smith.edu

How Is This Related to Climate?

Further Exploration

References and Additional Resources