L Anse Aux Meadows Analysis

L’Anse aux Meadows is an archaeological site on the Great Northern Peninsula in Newfoundland, Canada that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, designates World Heritage Sites in order to “…encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.” The L’Anse aux Meadows archaeological site is truly of outstanding value to humanity because it is the only recognized, authentic site of Viking presence in North America; and it is the earliest site of European presence on the continent. Archaeological excavations of this site revealed evidence of a Viking settlement
In the sagas, Vinland was described as a land with wild grapes, warm winters, and plenty of timber. This timber was important for the Vikings because Greenland did not provide any wood for building. The sagas depict voyages to this region by Vikings such as Leif Eriksson and Thorfinn Karlsefn who built houses, explored the region in search of timber, furs, and grapes, and traded and battled with the aboriginal people that they called skraelings. The Vikings spent several summers exploring the region that they called Vinland before they eventually returned to Greenland, possibly due to these clashes with aboriginal people. The location and even existence of the Viking’s Vinland had been debated for years, but the discovery of archaeological evidence of a Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows provided proof of a Viking settlement in North America and opened up discussions about the possible location of the famous
It is likely that the site was used as a base camp for ship repair as the Vikings explored other regions that were further south. This idea was supported by the butternuts and worked-wood from butternut trees that were found during excavations at the site. Butternut trees are not found in the Newfoundland region, and are only found in regions that are further south such as New Brunswick. Therefore, it is likely that the Vikings traveled to regions further south along the Gulf of St. Lawrence in search of materials and then returned to their camp at L’Anse aux Meadows for ship repairs or to weather the winter. This coincides with the sagas’ descriptions of Vinland because areas such as New Brunswick are known for wild grapes. So while L’Anse aux Meadows proved that Vikings had been in North America, it is not likely that the site is the famous Vinland of the sagas, but rather a base camp that allowed Vikings to explore Vinland country. While the true boundaries of Vinland are still not known, it is clear that the settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows was not occupied for very long. There is little evidence of domestic activities at the site and no evidence of storage areas or stables for animals. In addition, there is no evidence of Viking burials. While the reasons for their departure are unknown, evidence shows that