L'Anse aux Meadows

L'Anse aux Meadows, the first authentic Norse site found in North America, is located on the northern tip of NEWFOUNDLAND's Great Northern Peninsula. Newfoundlander William A. Munn suggested in 1914 that Norse landings had occurred on this spot, but remains were not discovered until 1960 when the NORWEGIAN explorer and writer Helge Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, searched the area. The site was excavated by Anne Stine Ingstad from 1961-68, and by Parks Canada from 1973-76.

Award-winning filmmaker Frank Wolf and his friend, Todd, experience the life of the Norsemen at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. From Frank Wolf, You Tube.

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The Norse remains consist of 3 building complexes, each comprising a large dwelling and associated workshops. Finds show evidence of carpentry and ironworking, the first known iron smelting in the New World. Distinctive artifacts include a bronze pin, a spindle whorl, needlework tools and broken wood objects. Building types, artifacts and radiocarbon dates indicate an occupancy of short duration between 990 and 1050 AD. The site also contains evidence of Maritime ARCHAIC, Groswater, DORSET and 9th-century native occupations predating the Norse, and one native occupation postdating them. However, there were no aboriginal people on the site at the time of the Norse.

Since 1977 L'Anse aux Meadows has been a national HISTORIC SITE administered by Parks Canada. The site was declared a UNITED NATIONS WORLD HERITAGE SITE in 1978. The modern settlement was established as a French fishing station; in 1835 William Decker, an English seaman, founded the present community, which derives most of its income from inshore fishing.

See also NORSE VOYAGES; ARCHAEOLOGY; PREHISTORY.

Author BIRGITTA LINDEROTH WALLACE

Suggested Reading
A.S. and H. Ingstad, The Norse Discovery of America (1986); G. Jones, The Norse Altantic Saga (1986).

Links to Other Sites
United Nations World Heritage Sites
Information about locations in Canada that have been designated United Nations World Heritage Sites. From the United Nations website.

The Norse in the North Atlantic
About early Viking voyages to North America. Includes photos of L'anse aux Meadows. A Memorial University of Newfoundland website.

Vikings
Watch the Heritage Minute about evidence of Viking visits to Canadian territory from the Historica-Dominion Institute. See also related online learning resources.

L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
The Parks Canada site for L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, the only authenticated Viking settlement in North America. Also includes information about historic Aboriginal settlements.

Viking Trail
This site highlights Newfoundland's rich maritime heritage found along the Viking Trail, a tourism route that extends from the province's west coast to Southern Labrador. Includes the popular UNESCO World Heritage sites at Gros Morne National Park of Canada and L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site of Canada.

Arctic Mission
The website for Arctic Mission, a scientific voyage through the Arctic’s fabled North-West Passage. Features interactive maps, videos, photos and written observations about the landscape, climate, and wildlife that inhabit this region. From the National Film Board.

Evidence of Viking Outpost Found in Canada
An article about archaeological evidence pointing to the presence of a Viking camp on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. From the National Geographic website.