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Viking settlement of L’Anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland, Canada.
A team of scientists obtained evidence that the original Vikings of northern Europe were already active in the American continent in the year 1021, as published in the journal “Nature”.
That is, 471 years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, designated as the “discoverer” of America.
The Vikings traveled great distances in their iconic ships as, to the west, they established settlements in Iceland, Greenland and eventually a base at L’Anse aux Meadows (Newfoundland, Canada), but it was unclear when this first activity took place. ocean liner.
In this case, scientists have just shown that Europeans were present on the American continent in 1021 AD, that is, exactly 1,000 years ago. This date also marks the earliest known time when the Atlantic was crossed and humanity’s migration finally encircled the entire planet.
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Wood under the microscope served to date the Viking settlement in Newfoundland, Canada. Europa Press.
This was confirmed
In this study, the woodcutting made by the Vikings at L’Anse aux Meadows was exactly dated to AD 1021. The three pieces of wood studied, from three different trees, came from archaeologically attributable Viking contexts.
In addition, each one of them presented clear evidence of cutting and slicing with metal blades, a material that the indigenous population did not produce. The exact year could be determined because a huge solar storm occurred in AD 992 that produced a clear radiocarbon signal in the tree rings the following year.
“The increase in radiocarbon production that occurred between 992 and 993 AD has been detected in the archives of tree rings around the world,” said associate professor Michael Dee of the University of Groningen in Countries in a statement. Low, and director of the investigation.
Each of the three wooden objects showed this sign 29 growth rings (indicating the years) before the edge of the bark. “Finding the signal of the solar storm at 29 growth rings of the crust allowed us to conclude that the cutting activity took place in the year 1021 AD”, explained Dr. Margot Kuitems, also from the University of Groningen and first author of the work. .
Historical study: It has long been claimed that #vikings they came to #America before Cristobal #ColonBut a new study claims it has evidence to show exactly when this happened. (few) https://t.co/dSdxVBe4EX
— DW Español (@dw_espanol) October 20, 2021
Unknowns
The number of Viking expeditions to America and the length of their stay over the Atlantic remain unknown. All current data suggest that the venture was short-lived, and the cultural and ecological legacy of this early European activity in the Americas is likely to have been small. However, botanical tests at L’Anse aux Meadows have confirmed that the Vikings explored lands further south of Newfoundland.
The year 1021 AD is the oldest in which the European presence in America can be scientifically demonstrated. Previous dates of Viking presence in America have been largely based on Icelandic sagas. However, these began as oral histories and were only written centuries after the events they describe.
Although contradictory and sometimes fanciful, the sagas also suggest that encounters, both violent and friendly, occurred between Europeans and indigenous people in the region. However, little archaeological evidence has been found to confirm these exchanges. There are also other medieval accounts that suggest that prominent figures on the European continent learned that the Vikings had made landfall across the Atlantic.