18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Vikings arrived in Newfoundland 1,000 years ago: Scientists

Vikings’ first permanent settlement in North America – the coastal outpost in Newfoundland known as L’Anse aux Meadows now has a  precise date.

This site, which has excited archaeologists for 60 years, turned out to be 1000 years old.

According to scientists, a new sort of dating procedure that used a long-past solar storm as a reference point indicated that the colony was occupied in 1021 AD, exactly a millennium ago and 471 years before Columbus‘ first trip. The technique was used on three pieces of wood cut for the settlement, all pointing to the same year.

 A massive cosmic burst, most likely a solar flare, created a pulse in the creation of carbon-14 in the Earth’s atmosphere in 993 C.E., which was taken up by plants all over the planet through photosynthesis. Every living tree in 993 C.E. bears a telltale ring with a greater than normal carbon-14 concentration. Researchers may determine the exact year a tree died by counting out from that ring. A comparable cosmic explosion in 775 C.E. let scientists correctly date the construction of a church in Switzerland as well as a volcanic eruption near the Chinese–North Korean border.

Famous Oseberg ship.
Famous Oseberg ship.

Researchers from the University of Groningen, led by radiocarbon expert Michael Dee, used this approach on a collection of timber pieces recovered from L’Anse aux Meadows during the 1960s and 1970s. Archaeologists know they were hacked by metal axes based on cut marks in the wood, suggesting Vikings, not Indigenous peoples of North America, were responsible. Co-author Birgitta Wallace, an archaeologist with Parks Canada who has spent her career at the site, stored the bits in a freezer for decades.

The Viking expedition marks a number of watershed moments in human history. The settlement has the oldest traces of a transatlantic voyage. It also symbolizes the point at which people completed the circumnavigation of the world, thousands of years after crossing a land bridge that previously linked Siberia and Alaska.

“Much kudos should go to these northern Europeans for being the first human society to traverse the Atlantic,” said radiocarbon scientist Michael Dee of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, who led the study published in the journal Nature.

Vikings, also known as Norse people, were sailors from Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. They traveled around Europe, colonizing at times and trading or raiding at others. They built colonies in Iceland and Greenland and possessed exceptional boat-building and navigation skills.

Historians think Vikings were seeking timber to bring back to relatively treeless Greenland.

Cover Photo: Wikipedia

Related Articles

Ancient coins surface with Lake Iznik’s withdrawal in Türkiye

2 May 2023

2 May 2023

With the withdrawal of Lake Iznik in the northwest of Türkiye, the ancient coins found at the bottom of the...

The Famous Cueva de Ardales cave in Spain was used by ancient humans for over 50,000 years

8 June 2022

8 June 2022

Cueva de Ardales cave in Málaga, Spain,  famed for the extensive prehistoric art on its walls was excavated for the...

3800-years-old Akkadian Cuneiform Tablet found in Turkey’s Hatay

11 August 2023

11 August 2023

A 3,800-year-old Akkadian cuneiform tablet was found during the archaeological excavations carried out in the Aççana Mound, the old city...

Hidden Archaeological Treasures from Cologne Cathedral

25 January 2024

25 January 2024

An area of around 4,000 square meters (43,055 square feet) is being discovered beneath the Cologne Cathedral, the largest Gothic...

Ancient Jordanian town referred to as Heshbon in the Old Testament provides insight into regional agricultural history

20 January 2022

20 January 2022

The American archaeologist stated that Tell Hisban, located on the Madaba plains of Jordan, represents the “granary of the empires”....

Researcher found the head of the statue of Bacchus, inside a water channel near the ancient city of Cyrene in Libya

31 December 2023

31 December 2023

Libyan Archeology researcher, Issam Menfi found the head of the statue of Bacchus, which dates back to the Greek era,...

A rare Saint George seal was found during excavations near Suzdal

27 June 2023

27 June 2023

The archaeological survey of the Suzdal Opole, initiated by the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences more...

Archaeologists Unveil Sanctuary of Odysseus on Ithaca: A Monumental Discovery Rooted in Myth and History

15 June 2025

15 June 2025

A major archaeological breakthrough on the Greek island of Ithaca has brought new clarity to the island’s legendary past. Researchers...

The World’s Oldest Mummies “Chile’s Ancient Mummies Older than Egypt’s”

20 February 2024

20 February 2024

At the beginning of the 20th century, mummies dating back 2000 years before the Egyptians were found in the Atacama...

In Germany, a well-preserved octagonal tower unearthed, which may have been inspired by towers on the city walls of Constantinople

5 September 2023

5 September 2023

During excavations at Neuenburg Castle near the town of Freyburg (Burgenlandkreis) in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the extraordinarily well-preserved,...

Most important Discovery in New Zealand Archaeology: Ocean Waka

5 March 2025

5 March 2025

What began as a routine search for wood by Vincent and Nikau Dix on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) has led to...

World treasure that cannot be displayed in the Local Museum in Pljevlja, Montenegro

30 July 2023

30 July 2023

Despite representing one of the most valuable portable cultural assets of Montenegro, the Pljevlja Diatreta is not accessible to visitors. The...

Polish Archaeologists uncover a ancient residence and mysterious mask in Libya’s ancient city Ptolemais

15 January 2025

15 January 2025

In Libya’s ancient city of Ptolemais on the Mediterranean coast, Polish archaeologists have uncovered a dwelling equipped with an advanced...

According to researchers, the bones discovered underneath St. Peter’s Basilica may not be his

5 June 2021

5 June 2021

Three Italian researchers have voiced doubts about whether St. Peter’s bones are buried underneath the Rome basilica that bears his...

Ancient ‘Cancer-Treating’ Magical Amulet Discovered in Türkiye’s Antioch of Pisidia

30 December 2024

30 December 2024

An intriguing artifact was discovered during excavations in the ancient city of Pisidia Antioch in Isparta province in western Türkiye:...