L'Anse aux Meadows facts for kids
Quick facts for kids L'Anse aux Meadows |
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Recreated Norse buildings at L'Anse aux Meadows
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| Official name: L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site |
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| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | vi |
| Designated | 1978 (2nd session) |
| Reference no. | 4 |
| Country | Canada |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Official name: L'Anse aux Meadows National Historical Site of Canada. | |
| Designated | 28 November 1968 |
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L'Anse aux Meadows is an amazing archaeological site. It was discovered in the 1960s. Here, people found the remains of a Norse settlement that is about 1,000 years old. This special place is located on the northern tip of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is close to the town of St. Anthony.
Scientists have used different methods to figure out the age of the site. Carbon dating shows it was used between 990 and 1050 CE. Tree-ring dating points to the year 1021. This makes L'Anse aux Meadows the only proven place where Europeans landed in the Americas before Christopher Columbus. This happened outside of Greenland.
The site shows that the Norse people were in North America. It might even be connected to the stories of Leif Erikson. These stories are found in old writings called the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red. These sagas were written in the 13th century. It seems the settlement was a base camp for the Norse to explore other parts of North America.
The site covers about 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of land and sea. It has the remains of eight buildings. These buildings were made from sod (grass and soil) over a wooden frame. Over 800 Norse items have been found here. These include things made of bronze, bone, and stone. There is also proof that they made iron.
L'Anse aux Meadows was named a National Historic Site of Canada in 1968. In 1978, UNESCO made it a World Heritage Site. Today, Parks Canada takes care of this important historical place.
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What Does the Name "L'Anse aux Meadows" Mean?
The name L'Anse aux Meadows is a mix of French and English words. It can be translated as "Grassland Bay." This name likely refers to the grassy landscape around the cove.
There are different ideas about how the village got its name. Some think it might come from the French L'Anse aux Méduses, meaning "Jellyfish Cove." Another idea is that it comes from L'Anse à la Médée (Medea Cove). This name appeared on a French naval map from 1862. The English word "Meadows" probably came about because of the many meadows in the area.
Who Lived Here Before the Norse?
Before the Norse arrived, different Indigenous groups lived at L'Anse aux Meadows. Scientists have found evidence of five different groups. The oldest signs of people living here date back about 6,000 years.
None of these Indigenous groups lived there at the same time as the Norse. The most well-known group was the Dorset people. They lived at the site about 300 years before the Norse.
When Were the Norse Here?
The Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows is believed to be from around 1000 CE. Carbon dating suggests it was between 990 and 1050 CE. A study in 2021 used tree rings to pinpoint the exact year 1021 for Norse activity at the site.
Some experts think the Norse might have stayed here for about 20 years. Others believe it was not a permanent home. Instead, it might have been a temporary place to repair boats. There are no signs of burials, farming tools, or animal pens. This suggests the Norse left the site in an organized way. However, one study suggests Norse activity might have lasted for up to a century.
We don't know how many people lived at the site at any one time. The buildings could hold between 30 and 160 people. The total Norse population in Greenland at that time was about 2,500. So, L'Anse aux Meadows was a much smaller settlement.
What Was Life Like for the Norse Settlers?
Today, the area around L'Anse aux Meadows is mostly open grassland. But 1,000 years ago, there were forests. These forests were useful for building boats and houses. They were also good for getting iron.
Scientists found the remains of eight buildings (labeled A–J). They think these buildings were made of sod placed over a wooden frame. Based on what was found inside, the buildings were either homes or workshops.
- The largest home (F) was very big, about 28.8 by 15.6 meters (94.5 by 51.2 feet). It had several rooms.
- Three smaller buildings (B, C, G) might have been workshops or living areas for workers or slaves.
- One workshop (J) was an iron smithy. It had a forge and iron waste.
- Another workshop (D) was for carpentry, where wood pieces were found.
- There was also a special area for repairing boats, where worn rivets were discovered.
Many everyday Norse items were found at the site. These include a stone oil lamp, a whetstone (for sharpening tools), a bronze pin, a bone knitting needle, and part of a spindle. Stone weights found in building G might have been part of a loom. Finding the spindle and needle suggests that both women and men lived at the settlement.
The Norse people ate many different foods. They found butternuts, which don't grow naturally this far north. This means the Norse probably traveled further south to get them. They also hunted animals like caribou, wolves, foxes, bears, and seals. They caught many types of birds and fish. The harsh winters and ice made it hard to find game. This must have made living there in winter difficult for the Norse.
How Was the Site Discovered?
In 1960, a Norwegian husband-and-wife team found the remains of Norse buildings in Newfoundland. The team included explorer Helge Ingstad and archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad. They led an international team to dig at the site from 1960 to 1968.
For a long time, historians thought the Norse name Vinland meant "wine-land." They believed the Norse must have landed in a place with wild grapes. This led them to think Vinland could not be north of Massachusetts.
The Ingstads didn't agree with this idea. They thought Vinland might mean "land of meadows." In 1960, a local fisherman named George Decker showed Helge Ingstad some grassy mounds near the village. Locals called them the "old Indian camp." These mounds looked like old house remains.
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The Ingstads dug at the site from 1961 to 1968. They found the remains of eight, and possibly nine, buildings. They figured out that it was a Norse settlement. They compared the buildings and items found there to other Norse sites in Greenland and Iceland from around 1000 CE.
L'Anse aux Meadows is the only confirmed Norse site in North America outside Greenland. It shows how far Europeans explored and settled in the New World before Christopher Columbus arrived almost 500 years later. Historians wonder if there were other Norse sites or trade with Native Americans in the Canadian Arctic. Some possible Norse outposts were found in Nanook on Baffin Island in 2012.
L'Anse aux Meadows Today
In November 1968, the Government of Canada made the archaeological site a National Historic Site of Canada. In 1978, UNESCO also named it a World Heritage Site.
Parks Canada now manages the area and its tourist programs. After the first dig, two more digs were done by Parks Canada in the 1970s. After each dig, the site was covered up again to protect the old remains.
Today, you can see the remains of seven Norse buildings at the national historic site. North of these remains, new buildings have been built. These are recreations of Norse sod houses from the late 20th century. They help visitors imagine what the settlement looked like.
You can also find the remains of an Indigenous hunting camp southwest of the Norse remains. The site also has picnic areas and a visitor center for people to enjoy.
How Does L'Anse aux Meadows Connect to the Vinland Sagas?
The Icelandic sagas are old traditional stories. Two of them, the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red, tell about Norse people from Greenland. These Norse explorers discovered and tried to settle a land to the west. They called it Vinland.
The sagas describe fights among the Norsemen. They also tell of battles with the native people, whom they called Skrælings. These conflicts eventually led the Norse to leave the area.
• Land of the Risi (a mythical place)
• Greenland
• Helluland (Baffin Island)
• Markland (the Labrador Peninsula)
• Land of the Skrælings (location not known)
• Promontory of Vinland (the Great Northern Peninsula)
Some people believe that the settlements mentioned in these sagas, like Leifsbudir (founded by Leif Erikson) and Hóp, might be the L'Anse aux Meadows site.
See also
In Spanish: L'Anse aux Meadows para niños
