The locations of Vinland and the first European settlement are mysteries that have puzzled scholars, archaeologists, and historians for more than two centuries. From 1961 to 1968, Helge Ingstad and his wife Anne Stine Ingstad, both acclaimed Viking scholars, conducted seven expeditions at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. The results of their work are recorded in one of the most in-depth studies of the subject: The Viking Discovery of America. Combining a first-hand account of the Ingstads' groundbreaking discoveries with a compelling history of Viking explorations, this archaeological survey refutes centuries of historical assumptions about Viking contact with the New World in the centuries before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. The book details how the Ingstads meticulously worked from old Viking sagas, existing research, and their own hypotheses to piece together the story of a group of Vikings, who, faced with crowded conditions in Greenland, decided to expand their horizons, eventually discovering a new territory.
Readers will also discover fascinating information about shipbuilding and navigation techniques, well-known and obscure explorers and their journeys, Viking culture and lifestyle, as well as the factors that led to the eventual evacuation of their settlement. Full-color maps and photographs from the expeditions help to bring the text alive.