1000, and the remains of the Norse village are now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. An international team of archaeologists that included Ingstad’s wife, Anne, excavated artifacts of Viking origin dating from around A.D. In 1960, Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad scoured the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland for signs of a possible settlement, and he found it on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland at L’Anse aux Meadows. This was perhaps due to the violent encounters-including the slaying of Eriksson’s brother Thorwald–they had with the indigenous population of North America.Īrchaeologists have unearthed evidence that supports the sagas’ stories of the Norse expeditions to America. In spite of North America’s more bountiful resources, the Viking settlers remained in desolate Greenland. as the Age of Exploration, also commonly referred to as the Age of Discovery. Eriksson, who would succeed Erik the Red as chief of the Greenland settlement after his father’s death, never returned to North America, but other Vikings continued to sail west to Vinland for at least the ensuing decade. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation that declared October 9 to be Leif Eriksson Day in honor of the Viking explorer, his crew and the country’s Nordic-American heritage. A brief overview of Routes of Famous European Explorers for World or US. They explored the surrounding region abounding with lush meadows, rivers teeming with salmon, and wild grapes so suitable for wine that Eriksson called the region Vinland (Wineland).Īfter spending the winter in Vinland, Eriksson and his crew sailed home to windswept Greenland with badly needed timber and plentiful portions of grapes.
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The Vikings spent an entire winter there and benefitted from the milder weather compared to their homeland.