Point Rosee facts for kids

Point Rosee is a piece of land that sticks out into the ocean. It is on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It used to be called Stormy Point.

In 2014, an archaeologist named Sarah Parcak used special satellite pictures. She thought she saw signs of a Viking settlement at Point Rosee. If it was true, it would be only the second Viking site found in North America outside of Greenland. Sarah Parcak and her husband, Gregory Mumford, led digs there in 2015 and 2016.

But in 2017, after their digs, Sarah Parcak and Gregory Mumford wrote a report. They said they found no proof of Vikings or any human activity from that time. They also said that no one on their team, including Viking experts, saw any signs of human activity. Sarah Parcak has not asked to dig at Point Rosee again since 2016.

Searching for Viking Clues

In 2014, Sarah Parcak looked at satellite images. She is an American archaeologist and an expert in using remote sensing. She thought she saw shapes that looked like a Viking longhouse. This longhouse would have been about 22 meters long and 7 meters wide.

Why Point Rosee Looked Promising

Sarah Parcak said the size of the possible longhouse was important. It was the same size as longhouses found at L'Anse-aux-Meadows. L'Anse aux Meadows is the only confirmed Viking site in North America. Viking longhouses there had thick walls made of turf. These walls left grassy mounds behind. No such mounds were found at Point Rosee.

What the Digs Found

In June 2015, Sarah Parcak and Gregory Mumford started digging. They thought they found a turf wall, which Vikings used to build. But by the end of the 2016 dig, they realized it was not man-made. It was just a natural soil feature. Their 2017 report confirmed that these "turf/wall-type features are not man-made."

Bog Iron and Fire

The 2015 dig also found a lot of bog iron ore. They thought this was proof that Vikings had roasted bog iron ore. Roasting is the first step in making iron. But in 2016, they found that this bog iron ore was also there naturally.

Birgitta Wallace, a top expert on Viking archaeology, said that any roasting could have been from a campfire. Indigenous peoples lived in Newfoundland for thousands of years before the Vikings. So, a campfire could have been made by them.

In 2015, another archaeologist, Frederick Schwarz, found a cracked rock. He thought fire might have cracked it. But the 2017 report said this cracked rock was also "far more likely" to be natural.

Looking for Iron Smelting

Douglas Bolender, an archaeologist who studies Vikings, said only Vikings would have roasted bog iron ore in Newfoundland. Sarah Parcak thought the cracked rock, ash, and bog iron ore were signs of Viking iron work. Making iron also creates a glass-like waste called slag. Finding slag would prove that Vikings were smelting iron at Point Rosee.

During the 2015 dig, the team thought they found slag. But tests showed it was just bog ore. The digs in 2015 and 2016 found no proof of Vikings. The 2016 dig also showed that the turf wall and bog ore found in 2015 were natural.

Radiocarbon Dating

A 2016 film called Vikings Unearthed talked about the 2015 dig. It mentioned that two berries from the site were radiocarbon dated. They were from the 1600s to the 1800s. Sarah Parcak said this did not fit with the site's archaeology. She thought the samples might have been mixed in later.

Carbon from the cracked rock was also dated. It showed a fire happened there between 800 and 1300 CE. But in their 2017 report, Sarah Parcak and Gregory Mumford did not say these dates proved Vikings were there.

Experts' Doubts

Martha Drake, Newfoundland's Provincial Archaeologist, has been involved since 2014. She doubts Point Rosee is a Viking site. Birgitta Wallace and Karen Milek, both Viking experts, also have doubts. Barry Gaulton and Michael Deal, archaeology professors at Memorial University, agree.

In their November 2017 report, Sarah Parcak and Gregory Mumford wrote that they "found no evidence whatsoever for either a Norse presence or human activity at Point Rosee prior to the historic period." They also said that "None of the team members, including the Norse specialists, deemed this area as having any traces of human activity." Sarah Parcak has not asked for new permits to dig at Point Rosee since 2016.

Where is Point Rosee?

Point Rosee is a remote piece of land with a rocky shore. It is on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. An 1859 map shows it as Stormy Point. It is about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of L'Anse aux Meadows. L'Anse aux Meadows is the only confirmed Viking site in North America.

Karen Milek, who was part of the 2016 dig, doubted Point Rosee was a Viking site. She said there are no good places for Viking boats to land. The shore has large, rocky areas that boats cannot get through. There are also steep cliffs between the shore and the dig site. Birgitta Wallace also doubted it because of the rocky shore and no fresh water. Local people say the Point Rosee area was used for sheep or growing vegetables. Some locals hoped the discovery would bring more tourists to the Codroy Valley.

The Final Report

In their report on November 8, 2017, Sarah Parcak and Gregory Mumford told the Provincial Archaeology Office in St. John's, Newfoundland, their findings. They wrote, "There are no clear findings of human activity prior to 1800." They also said they "found no evidence whatsoever for either a Norse presence or human activity at Point Rosee prior to the historic period." And that "None of the team members, including the Norse specialists, deemed this area as having any traces of human activity."

Since no proof of Vikings was found, and many Viking experts thought it was not a good place for a Viking settlement, no more digs are planned for Point Rosee. Sarah Parcak and Gregory Mumford stated in their report that their findings do not support going back to Point Rosee. Sarah Parcak has not asked for any new permits to dig at Point Rosee since 2016.

Media About Point Rosee

Sarah Parcak's research was part of two documentaries: Vikings Unearthed and The Vikings Uncovered. These films were made by PBS, BBC, and BBC Worldwide North America. They first aired on April 6, 2016, and showed the work at Point Rosee. You can find other information about Point Rosee from many sources.