L'Anse aux Meadows

The place name is a French- English mixed form as abundant in eastern Canada, and means something like "The Cove at the meadows " (French anse " bay ", engl. Meadow " meadow "). The name could also be a deformation of the French L' Anse- aux- Méduses be ( "Jellyfish Cove ").

History

The settlement was established around 1000, possibly by Leif Eriksson expedition. It could have acted accordingly to Markland and Vinland. Recent research, however, assume that Markland is likely to be to locate in the area of Labrador, while the term Vinland could apply to Newfoundland because of the former presence of wild grapes. After a significant climate change in the 12th and 13th centuries grew in Newfoundland no more wine, so they sought Vinland erroneously long time further south.

The settlement was probably inhabited only a few years. Then on the one hand indicate the Icelandic Sagas, of battles with the natives known as Skraelings ( whether Indian or Inuit, is not clear from the texts ) report, on the other hand, the archaeological findings. So only a few slags were found in the forge, were maximum erschmiedet few kilograms of iron. That hardly valuables and no weapons were found during the excavations, speaks for an orderly withdrawal of settlers.

From a European perspective, the settlement, which is the only of its kind so far discovered in North America, of the utmost importance - it proves the theory that the discovery of America was held by European sailors already 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

There lived here at least since 4000 BC people. We distinguish five or six different groups, including members of the Inuit culture, which are often still referred to as Dorset Eskimos. They lived in the 8th century at the south end of the bay, but there is no evidence that they also lived there around 1000.

Excavations

The settlement on the Epaves Bay was excavated in 1961 by the Norwegians Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad -. It consisted of eleven houses and a blacksmith, was processed in the bog iron, which knew not the Indians. It is the only proven safe settlement of Scandinavians in North America. The style of the houses corresponded to that of contemporary Icelanders and Greenlanders, the sod house. In the houses there were only a few artifacts, including a bronze needle and spindle whorls. A beinerne needle may have been a kind of knitting needle. A whetstone for sharpening scissors and blades was discovered.

From 1973 to 1976 Parks Canada continued the excavation continued. Focus was the peat bog below the settlement terrace. There, some 2,000 wooden artifacts have been discovered in three layers. In one of the layers, which could be assigned to the Scandinavians, there were processing waste, probably from Schiffbauten, plus a floor screed. In order not to destroy the archaeological traces and keep open for future research, the site was again covered with sand and peat.

It was in 1978 declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Precondition was the preservation of the archaeological site and its pieces in situ, ie at the site itself Two houses have been reconstructed and are now a tourist attraction. A visitor center ( Visitor Information Centre ) offers an introduction to the National Historic Site of Canada.