Iceland review - 2012, Page 73

ICELAND REVIEW 71
By Zoë robert
Photos By PÁll stefÁnsson
The Vikings settled in,
but it wasn’t long
before they set off to
explore new lands.
Around the year
985, just over a cen-
tury after arriving in
Iceland, Icelanders migrated to Greenland
where they established two colonies (known
as the Eastern and Western Settlements) on
the uninhabited southern-most tip of the
island. They were led by Erik the Red, who
had been exiled from both Norway and
Iceland for murder. The Eastern Settlement,
at Garðar, was situated at the head of the long
and deep Igaliku fjord and lies within what
is today the village of Igaliku, population 55.
The site was perfectly located near a natural
harbor and, according to archaeologists, was
well suited to grazing and fodder production,
unlike much of Greenland where arable land
is sparse.
Leif Erikson, who is credited with discov-
ering North America, was the son of Erik the
Red, and according to the Sagas, he set out
to convert Greenland to Christianity, despite
his father’s opposition. Garðar became the
religious heart of Norse Greenland during
the Middle Ages, with the establishment of a
bishopric in the 12th century. The remains of
a church and other buildings dating back to
those times have been discovered in the area,
and a number of archaeological excavations
have been carried out at the Viking age site.
The colony, described in the Saga of the
Greenlanders as a thriving settlement, seems
to have existed until the mid-15th century,
but archaeologists have been struggling to
find out exactly what happened to the 2,000
to 5,000 individuals that made up the settle-
ment. The most recent discovery came in
2005, when construction workers digging
a drainage ditch located a short distance
from the main cluster of ruins came upon
an archaeological deposit. Well-preserved
animal bone, artifacts, and wooden objects
believed to date to the Nordic settlement
were among the articles found.
Orri Vésteinsson, of the Institute of
Archaeology in Iceland and the University
of Iceland is currently leading the first major
excavation at Garðar in almost 60 years.
Iceland Review met with him just before he
left for Greenland.
RACe AgAINSt tIMe
Orri describes the excavation as a “rescue
operation,” as he and his colleagues are
concerned that the remains will soon dis-
appear. “We are hoping that this meadow
hasn’t dried out too much. There is also a
problem because of global warming. There
is wonderful preservation of artifacts where
there is permafrost, but once that disappears
those artifacts are going to disappear as
well,” he says.
Since the colony disappeared in the 15th
century, sheep farming has taken place at
the site. But the human impact is otherwise
considered minimal, compared to similar
Whatever became of the Norse settlements in
Greenland that disappeared in the 15th century?
Archaeologist Orri Vésteinsson is currently
leading an excavation aiming to unearth the truth.
Summer night at Igaliku in South Greenland.