The Vikings and America - Softcover

Wahlgren, Erik

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0500281998 ISBN 13: 9780500281994

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2000

Synopsis

Did Vinland, that mysterious "land of grapevines" that the Viking Leif Eriksson discovered and christened almost a thousand years ago, ever exist? Do the clues in the sagas of a North American location point to a specific place on a modern map? How much more of the New World may these pre-Columbian adventurers have explored? Drawing upon the clues found in ancient manuscripts and a deep knowledge of the historical and archaeological evidence, Wahlgren addresses these questions in a marvelously readable account. Excavations at L'Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland show that the Vikings did indeed reach the North American continent around A.D.1000, presumably from their base in Southern Greenland. Other supposed Viking discoveries such as the Kensington Stone are dismissed as frauds, but legitimate finds from Arctic Canada to New England suggest Viking exploration far to the north and the south. Eventually, a worsening climate and attacks by native peoples ended the first European presence in the New World.

About this title

About the Author:

The late Erik Wahlgren was Professor of Scandinavian and Germanic Languages at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was best known for his influential book The Kensington Stone, a Mystery Solved.

Review:

A detective story in which Wahlgren sorts through the clues found in ancient manuscripts and meshes them with modern archaeological discoveries. -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A rare insight into the facts of a contentious issue. -- Choice

About this edition

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0500281998
• ISBN 13: 9780500281994
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192