Vikings came to America centuries before Christopher Columbus, study finds

The Vikings were already in America a thousand years ago, centuries before Christopher Columbus did so in 1492, although it is not clear exactly when they reached the continent. It is the conclusion of an international team of scientists who have demonstrated their presence there as early as 1021, as published this Wednesday by the magazine ‘Nature‘.

The Vikings traveled great distances in their iconic ships and established settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and eventually L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. Canada. Nevertheless, it is not clear when that first transatlantic activity took place.

Now, scientists have shown that Europeans were already present on the American continent in 1021 AD, exactly 1,000 years ago. A date that also supposes the earliest known time the Atlantic was crossed and the migration of humanity finally encircled the entire planet.

The study has dated wood cutting made by the Vikings in L’Anse aux Meadows exactly in the year 1021 AD The three pieces of wood studied, coming from three different trees, came from archaeological contexts attributable to the Vikings. In addition, they presented clear evidence of cutting and slicing with metal blades, a material that the indigenous population did not produce.

The exact year has been determined because in 992 AD there was a huge solar storm that produced a clear radiocarbon signal in the tree rings of the following year. An increase in radiocarbon production that “has been detected in the archives of tree rings around the world”, says Professor Michael Dee of the University of Groningen, director of the research.

Each of the three wooden objects showed this sign 29 growth rings (indicating the years) before the edge of the bark. “Find the sign of the solar storm at 29 growth rings of the cortex allowed us to conclude that the cutting activity took place in the year 1021 AD “, explains Dr. Margot Kuitems, also from the University of Groningen and first author of the study.

However, the number of Viking expeditions to America and the length of their stay remain unknown, although current data suggest that it was short and that the cultural and ecological legacy of this early European activity in America was probably small. However, the botanical tests of L’Anse aux Meadows confirm that the Vikings explored lands further south of Newfoundland.