CAPE HISTORY UNIT ONE

1. Didthe Norse (Vikings) discoverAmericabeforeColumbus?
The Norse/Vikings
Throughouthistory,the Vikingshadbeenknownasa verywarlike setof people.Theyhadalways
travelledinsearchof newfarmlands.These warriorscame fromthe far northern parts of Europe now
calledScandinavia.Itisbelievedthatthese groupsof mendidmanyexpeditions,some of whichwere to
the AmericasunderLeif Eriksson.Carl RaftChristian(1837) believedthatthe Vikingscame almosthalf a
centurybefore Columbus.Today,the UnitedStatesof Americaacceptshim(thatisEriksson),asthe first
personto have discoveredthe Americas.Inanycase,justas inthe case of the Africans,historianshave
foundmanyevidencestosupporttheirpresence before Columbus.These take boththe formof
archaeological findingsandverbal/writtenevidence.
Archaeological
(a) The remainsof horses:OnLeif Erikssonexpeditiontothe Americas,he foundthe regionwe now
referto as “Newfoundland”.Itwasbelievedthathe hadcarriedwithhimand hiscrew numeroushorses.
Archaeologistshave foundthe remainsof horsesinthe regionandthisledtoa seriesof thoughts.It
couldhave been,the Europeansthathadcome afterColumbus,butwhenitwascarbon dateditwent
almostto the year1000. Furthermore,extensive researcheshave shownthatthe frame of the remains
resembledthosethatare commonday inNorway,the original dwellingof the Norse.
(b) L’Anse aux Meadows:The “L’Anse aux Meadows”isby far the most influentialevidence producedby
intelligencessupportingthe presence of the Norse inthe Americas.In1961, menhad discovereda
buildingwhichwasunearthedinNewfoundlandtosupporttheirargument.Itwasbelievedthatthiswas
builtaroundthe year1000, as carbon dates have shown.Whatwon the believersoverwasthe
resemblance of the housingsysteminNorwayatthe period.The buildinghadthe same amountof
roomsas a typical home of the Norse inEurope.Furthermore,the placementof the doorsandwindows
alongwiththe fireplace,the type of interiorwalls,artifactsfoundsandcarbonslateswere ideal
evidenceswhichsupportedtheirarchitecturalknowledge.
(c) Smeltingof Metals:The discoveryof 90 nailswhichdatedback to the Vikings,foundat
Newfoundland,gave evidenceof the smeltingof iron,whichwasanideal occupationforthe typical
Norse.
(d) The discoveryof piecesof woodfashionedasrepairpartsboats: The Vikingswere expertsinship
buildingespeciallysince theirlife dependedonsuchvesselsfor the satisfactionof theirexplorative
desires.Archaeologistshave discoveredinclose proximitytoL’Anse aux Meadowspiecesof woodthat
were fashionedasrepairpartsfortheirvessels.Thoughnumerousscholarsbelievedthatthe Indiansin
Newfoundland couldhave beenthe one whohave made themfromthe year1000, menwho supported
the belief arguedthatthe Vikingswere byfarexpertshipmenandsothere wasno doubtthat the
natural resourcesof treesinthe regionwere ideal torepairtheirvessels.Furthermore,theyhad
matchedwiththe shipscreatedbythe Norse at the period.There istherefore nodoubtthatthe Norse

2. had leftthemthere whentheyleft.
(e) Coins:AtdifferentsitesinNewfoundland,where archaeologisthave studied,there have beenthe
discoveriesof coinsdatingtothe 11TH century(1010-1018). These were of the nature of the Norse.
Obviously,the Indiansthatwere presentatthe time couldnothave designedthese coins,especially
since theybelongedtothe Stone Age andwere ignorantof a currency.
Written/Verbal
(f) Sagasof Erik the Red:A Saga isan historical story,whichisbelievedtobe true thoughthere isno
significantevidence tosupportitsvalidity,recordedthroughoral traditions.The Sagaof Eric the Red
(thoughthere are others) isthe mostinfluential sagausedtooutline the journeysmade bythe Vikings
to the Americasinthe 11th Century.The saga denotedthe type of shipsusedonthe voyages,the
distance travelled,the nature of the voyage andotherimportantdetailsabouttheirexpedition.While
manyhistoriansfrownonthe use of the saga, arguingthatthe storyhas no meansof validity,mensuch
as Phol Fredick(1952), proposedthatthe measurementsmade wereentirelypossible,takinginto
considerationthe waythe sailorrecordedhisdaysandhours.Furthermore,the use of the words
“Vinland”maybe takenlikely.Itwasbelievedthatthe Vikingsnamedaterritorybasedonthe resources
theyfound.Forexample,“Greenland”basedonthe lushesfound.Newfoundlandisone thatisamble in
grapes,thusthe word “vin”.