L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
Travel back 1000 years to the Viking Age and explore the archaeological remains of a Norse outpost in northern Newfoundland.
By Parks Canada
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
In Search of Different Horizons
Around AD 1000, a group of Norse sailed the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland to Baffin Island, then south to the tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula. Historians believe that for 10-20 years they wintered at this base camp and explored the region they called “Vinland.”
Norse Journey, L’Anse aux Meadows (2022) by K KealeyParks Canada
The Norse Greenlanders likely encountered Indigenous peoples during their time in North America. Many cultures, including pre-Inuit groups like the Groswater and Dorset, and First Nations peoples like the Beothuk and their ancestors have lived in the region for millennia.
The Encampment
The Norse built their encampment on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland, near the contemporary village of L'Anse aux Meadows. It’s roughly 1000 kilometers north-west from St. John's, the provincial capital.
The epic tales known as the Icelandic Sagas say Leif Ericsson led the Norse expedition. They were likely seeking timber, but furs and other resources such as grapes would have been welcome finds.
The reconstructed Norse encampment at L'anse aux MeadowsParks Canada
When archaeologists discovered the site in 1960, they excavated the remains of eight timber-and-sod buildings, then reburied everything when the work was complete.
Today, visitors can explore a reconstruction of the encampment and the buildings.
Uncovered by Norwegian Archeologists in 1960
Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad spent years searching the Atlantic coast of Canada for sites mentioned in the sagas. Helge eventually made it to L'Anse aux Meadows and met George Decker, who guided him to some mounds near the village. Shortly after, Anne Stine led a team of archaeologists in excavating the site, finding several artifacts that could be conclusively linked to the Norse.
Parks Canada continued the archaeology work after L'Anse aux Meadows was designated a National Historic Site in 1968.
Iron Nail, L’Anse aux Meadows Iron Nail, L’Anse aux Meadows (Circa 1000 CE) by Greenland NorseParks Canada
Nailing down some proof
Almost 1000 years after the Norse abandoned their North American settlement, a team led by Parks Canada archaeologist Dr. Birgitta Wallace made an incredible discovery: an intact iron nail.
This nail was one of the artifacts that proved the encampment was built by the Norse.
Iron Nail, L’Anse aux MeadowsParks Canada
This nail is over 1000 years old!
Today’s nails are typically made of steel - an alloy of iron and carbon. But this nail is different, it’s made from something called bog iron. It's evidence of the earliest known iron smelting in North America!
Bog Iron Nuggets, L’Anse aux MeadowsParks Canada
This is more than a pile of dirt
Let's dig in...
These are nuggets of bog iron ore
The Norse smelted bog iron ore to produce iron. The iron could then be forged into nails - like the one found on site by Dr. Wallace's team.
Tests of the slag (smelting waste) found on site matched the iron in the nail, proving that the nail was made from bog iron harvested at L'Anse aux Meadows.
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The Bog at L’Anse aux Meadows
The source of bog iron for the Norse.
Blacksmith Costumed Interpreter at L'Anse aux Meadows (2008) by Parks CanadaParks Canada
Working With Iron
The Norse people had been smelting iron from European bogs for about 1400 years before they came to Newfoundland and found bog iron at L'Anse aux Meadows.
This is Darrell Markewitz, an artisan blacksmith from Ontario, talking about smelting bog iron. Darrell helped Parks Canada set up the metalworking recreations for visitors at L'Anse aux Meadows.
Iron nails enabled the Norse to build their ships and sail to faraway shores. They also used wooden trenails which held up better in wetter conditions.
There are some other artifacts, like this pin made of bronze, that provide a glimpse into life at L'Anse aux Meadows - and also helped conclusively link the site to the Norse people. In the days before zippers, bronze pins were commonly used to fasten two ends of a cloak together. A wool cloak - like a short cape - draped over one’s shoulders was a great way to keep warm in cold climates.
Costumed interpreter stiching at L’Anse aux Meadows (2008) by Parks Canada photgrapherParks Canada
Women at L’Anse aux Meadows
Drop Spindle, Broken Bone Needle, and Whetstone at L'Anse aux Meadows (Circa 1000 CE) by Greenland NorseParks Canada
From what we know of the sagas and Norse culture, men probably made up the majority of the encampment, but there is evidence to suggest some Norse women came to North America as well.
The round soapstone item that looks like a donut is a spindle whorl, used for spinning yarn. The long, thin rectangular rock is a whetstone, used to sharpen needles or small knives belonging to women. The triangular item is a broken bone needle for sewing.
Both the spindle whorl and bone needle are tools that would have been handy for making and repairing sail cloth, as well as the warm clothes that made life in cold northern climates bearable…
...and since this was generally women’s work in Norse society at that time, it lends credibility to references in the sagas about women traveling to Vinland. In fact, one saga describes a woman, Gudrid, giving birth - possibly the first European born in North America.
Dr. Jenneth Curtis, an archaeologist with Parks Canada, studied the excavations of Indigenous sites at L’Anse aux Meadows and the surrounding areas. Different Indigenous cultures lived at L’Anse aux Meadows long before and after the period of Norse explorations.
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Indigenous Artifacts
Many different Indigenous nations have lived on the coast of Labrador, the island of Newfoundland and around the Gulf of St. Lawrence for millennia. It seems likely that they may have encountered the Norse at some point.
Wooden harpoon shaft, L’Anse aux Meadows (1050 - 850 BCE) by Tim RastParks Canada
These items are currently on display at the L’Anse aux Meadows visitor centre.
The straight brown wooden shaft (bottom) is part of a harpoon that was used by the Groswater people.
Above the original artifact is a recreation of what the harpoon would have looked like when it was made and used nearly 3000 years ago.
This tool is an adze. Adzes are used as a cutting tool for woodworking and can also be used as a hoe for agriculture.
L’Anse aux Meadows, The Meeting of Two Worlds (2002-07-05) by Luben BoykovParks Canada
The Meeting of Two Worlds
Newfoundlander Luben Boykov and Swedish artist Richard Brixel created "The Meeting of Two Worlds". The sculpture symbolizes the probable meeting of the Norse and the Indigenous peoples of North America.
Identify images carved into the sculpture
On the right-hand side of the sculpture are images of animals that sustained the Indigenous peoples of the area. See if you can find the shapes of a whale and other animals.
You can almost see the wind in the sail
Portraying the Norse world through the left side of the sculpture, the artists shaped a ship with a billowing sail.
Children with costumed interpreters at L’Anse aux MeadowsParks Canada
Visiting L’Anse aux Meadows
Children with costumed interpreters at L’Anse aux MeadowsParks Canada
Visitors can spend some quality time with the costumed Norse interpreters at a reconstructed version of the encampment, listening to tales from the Vinland Sagas in the main hall, and watching demonstrations of iron forging and textile weaving.
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site operates daily from June to October. Plan to spend at least 3 hours touring the archaeological site, the reconstructed village, and walking the loop trail past a very “ironic” bog.
The reconstructed Norse encampment at L'anse aux MeadowsParks Canada
To Learn more about L’Anse aux Meadows...
Listen to the ReCollections Podcast episode!
L'anse aux Meadows: The Saga of Vinland is available wherever you listen to podcasts, or at:
https://parks.canada.ca/recollections
A big thank you to Loretta Decker, Darrell Markewitz, and Dr. Jenneth Curtis. An extra special thank-you to Dr. Birgitta Wallace for helping with this episode and for her lifelong contributions to Norse history and archaeology. Her tireless efforts have brought this fascinating chapter of history to the world stage, and in 2015 her work was recognized with the Smith-Wintemberg Award, from the Canadian Association of Archaeologists, their highest honour.
Also, a big thanks to the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for the use of their archaeological collections and the National Film Board of Canada for the audio clips of Helge Ingstad.
To learn more about this history of the Norse Greenlanders in North America, we highly recommend reading Brigitta Wallace’s books and articles on the subject, or visiting L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site: https://parks.canada.ca/meadows
