Lecture: Vikings on Our Doorstep!
Gatineau, Quebec, September 9, 2002 - Archaeology proved that the Vikings visited eastern Canada in the eleventh century. On September 19, 2002 is your chance to meet lecturer Birgitta Wallace from Parks Canada. Her illustrated lecture provides a wealth of information about the Viking settlement in L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, this lecture will be preceded by a documentary film on the Norwegian archaeologist who discovered the Norse settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows: Helge Ingstad: The Man Who Proved the Vikings Were First.
Lecture Summary:
So far, L’Anse aux Meadows is the only authenticated Norse settlement site in North America. Archaeological excavations have shown that the site was not a colonizing venture but a base for the exploration of areas farther afield. Rather than land, the primary interest the Norse had in these areas lay in the resources they could provide. The resources collected were brought to L’Anse aux Meadows, where they were stored before they were shipped to Greenland.
The base was substantial, providing accommodation for up to ninety people. Its inhabitants seem to have been primarily a male labour crew rather than families. Founded early in the eleventh century, the base was abandoned after only a few years. The reasons were several, but the long distance from Greenland and the European orientation of the Greenland Norse were major factors.
How then does the L’Anse aux Meadows settlement relate to the Vinland sagas? The archaeological work at the site, recent research on the Norse settlements in Greenland and Iceland, and new saga research show that L’Anse aux Meadows is the Straumsfjord settlement of Erik’s Saga and that the summer camp Hóp mentioned in the same saga most likely is in eastern New Brunswick. It is also becoming increasingly clear that Leifsbúðir of the Greenlanders Saga is Straumsfjord and Hóp rolled into one. L’Anse aux Meadows is the settlement in Vinland and the place where Leif Eriksson established his exploration base.
Vikings on Our Doorstep: L’Anse aux Meadows and the Vinland Connection
September 19, 2002
Film: 6 p.m.
Lecture: 7: 30 p.m.
In the Theatre
(Film in English; simultaneous translation of lecture)
For more information, the public can call (819) 776-7000 or 1-800-555-5621
Media Information:
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7167
Fax: (819) 776-7187
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