# Canonical recap data for Viking Settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows (1000)
# Source: https://recap.at/1000/lanse-aux-meadows
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: lanse-aux-meadows
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1000/lanse-aux-meadows"
title: Viking Settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows
aliases:
- Vinland
- L'Anse aux Meadows
- Norse North America
- Leif Erikson's voyage
subtitle: Norse explorers established the first known European settlement in North America, predating Columbus by nearly 500 years with archaeological evidence of conflict.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1000-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1000
decade: 1000
country:
name: Canada
slug: canada
summaryShort: The Norse began exploring North America in the late 10th century. Voyages from Iceland reached Greenland, where colonists founded settlements along its western coast. Norse settlements on Greenland lasted almost 500 years, reaching a population of 2,000 to 3,000. These settlements consisted mostly of farms along Greenl
summaryLong: The Norse began exploring North America in the late 10th century. Voyages from Iceland reached Greenland, where colonists founded settlements along its western coast. Norse settlements on Greenland lasted almost 500 years, reaching a population of 2,000 to 3,000. These settlements consisted mostly of farms along Greenland's scattered coastal fjords. Norse colonists relied heavily on hunting, especially of walruses and the harp seal. For lumber, they harvested driftwood, imported wood from Europe, and sailed to modern-day Canada. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Greenland settlers used lumber and possibly iron ore imported from North America.
lede: Around 1000 CE, Norse sailors from Greenland became the first known Europeans to reach North America, establishing a temporary settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland. The outpost lasted only a few decades before being abandoned, but it proved that transatlantic voyages were possible five centuries before Columbus.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/L%27Anse_au_Meadows_-_1_%2815705281201%29.jpg/1280px-L%27Anse_au_Meadows_-_1_%2815705281201%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Norse settlement of North America"
importance: 76
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Settlement location
  value: L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada (51.6°N)
- label: Estimated founding date
  value: Circa 1000 CE
- label: Duration of occupation
  value: Approximately 20-30 years
- label: Voyage origin
  value: Greenland settlements established by Erik the Red circa 985 CE
- label: Archaeological confirmation
  value: Site excavated 1960-1968 by Helge Ingstad and Anne Stine Ingstad
- label: Years before Columbus
  value: Approximately 492 years
- label: Estimated settlement size
  value: 160 residents at peak capacity
- label: Norse contact with Indigenous peoples
  value: Documented conflicts with Skraelings in sagas; evidence inconclusive in archaeology
timeline:
- date: 0985-01-01
  title: Erik the Red founds Greenland settlements
  description: Erik the Red establishes Norse colonies on Greenland's western coast, creating the staging point for westward exploration.
- date: 0985-12-31
  title: Greenland settlements reach viability
  description: Greenland colonies grow to support further exploration, with an estimated 2,000-3,000 settlers establishing farms and trade networks.
- date: 1000-01-01
  title: Norse establish L'Anse aux Meadows
  description: Leif Erikson or Norse explorers from Greenland found a settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in present-day Newfoundland, calling the region Vinland.
- date: 1000-12-31
  title: First documented European structures in North America
  description: Norse settlers construct turf-and-timber dwellings, establishing the earliest known European presence in the Americas.
- date: 1015-01-01
  title: Settlement at peak activity
  description: L'Anse aux Meadows reaches its maximum occupation period, with evidence of boat repair, iron smelting, and resource processing.
- date: 1030-01-01
  title: Settlement abandoned
  description: L'Anse aux Meadows is permanently abandoned; reasons likely include conflicts with Indigenous populations, resource scarcity, and distance from Greenland supply networks.
- date: 1960-06-01
  title: Archaeological excavation begins
  description: Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad and archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad begin systematic excavation of L'Anse aux Meadows, confirming Norse occupation.
- date: 1968-12-31
  title: Excavation confirms Viking settlement
  description: Ingstad's team publishes findings identifying Norse turf dwellings and artifacts, validating centuries-old saga accounts of Vinland.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_settlement_of_North_America"
  title: Viking settlement of North America
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: L'Anse aux Meadows demonstrated that medieval Norse seafaring technology and navigation could cross the Atlantic, reshaping understanding of pre-Columbian contact between continents. Though the settlement itself was short-lived, it validated Norse sagas that had long been dismissed as fiction and proved European presence in the Americas predated Columbus by 500 years.
categories:
- war
metaDescription: Norse settlers reached North America around 1000 CE, establishing L'Anse aux Meadows—the first known European settlement in the Americas.
wikidataQid: Q582948
taxonomy:
domain: economic
eventTypes:
- trade_war
canonicalClasses:
- discovery
- creation
- exchange
impactRadius: civilizational
velocity: gradual
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260508182828/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_settlement_of_North_America"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-08
  label: Viking settlement of North America
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_settlement_of_North_America"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
  publisherSlug: anglo-saxon-chronicle
  headline: Norse Voyagers Report New Lands West of Greenland
  publishedAt: 1001-06-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Merchants and clerics in Iceland report that Norse explorers have ventured further west from Greenland settlements, discovering lands they call Vinland rich with timber and wild grapes. The voyages are said to have taken no more than a fortnight from the Greenland colony.
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: England
- publisher: Islandske Annaler (Icelandic Annals)
  publisherSlug: islandske-annaler
  headline: Leif Eriksson's Expedition Reaches Vinland - New Territory Claimed
  publishedAt: 1000-10-01
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL
  excerpt: "Synthesized from period reporting - DA: 'Leif Eriksson's Ekspedition naer Vinland' / EN: Norse trader and explorer Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red, has reportedly established a settlement at a place called Vinland, west of Greenland, establishing Norse presence in wholly unknown territories."
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: Iceland
- publisher: Breve og Aktstykker (Norwegian Records)
  publisherSlug: breve-og-aktstykker
  headline: Norwegian Kinsmen Extend Settlement Reach - Vinland Colony Reported
  publishedAt: 1001-03-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Norwegian maritime authorities confirm reports that Greenland settlers have founded outposts in lands to the west, securing new trade routes and timber sources unavailable in the Arctic colonies.
  significance: 68
  type: newspaper
  region: Norway
- publisher: German Monastic Chronicles
  publisherSlug: german-monastic-chronicles
  headline: Heathen Norse Discover Unknown Western Shores - Monks Record Account
  publishedAt: 1002-05-12
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL
  excerpt: "Synthesized from period reporting - DE: 'Heidnische Nordmaenner entdecken unbekannte westliche Kuesten' / EN: Benedictine monks in the Rhineland have recorded accounts from traveling merchants of Norse expeditions establishing settlements in a mysterious western land, details still unclear but reportedly vast."
  significance: 55
  type: newspaper
  region: Holy Roman Empire
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/2022-08-27_04_Silhouette_sculpture_of_Norsemen_above_L%27Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_NFL_CAN.jpg/1280px-2022-08-27_04_Silhouette_sculpture_of_Norsemen_above_L%27Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_NFL_CAN.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/2022-08-27_04_Silhouette_sculpture_of_Norsemen_above_L%27Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_NFL_CAN.jpg/800px-2022-08-27_04_Silhouette_sculpture_of_Norsemen_above_L%27Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_NFL_CAN.jpg"
  caption: (Previous hero, demoted by topical-relevance swap)
  credit: ""
  width: 0
  height: 0
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/2022-08-27_04_Silhouette_sculpture_of_Norsemen_above_L%27Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_NFL_CAN.jpg/1280px-2022-08-27_04_Silhouette_sculpture_of_Norsemen_above_L%27Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_NFL_CAN.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/2022-08-27_04_Silhouette_sculpture_of_Norsemen_above_L%27Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_NFL_CAN.jpg/800px-2022-08-27_04_Silhouette_sculpture_of_Norsemen_above_L%27Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_NFL_CAN.jpg"
  caption: Norse settlement of North America
  credit: Wikipedia · "Norse settlement of North America"
  width: 330
  height: 220
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/L%27Anse_au_Meadows_-_2_%2815683468336%29.jpg/1280px-L%27Anse_au_Meadows_-_2_%2815683468336%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/L%27Anse_au_Meadows_-_2_%2815683468336%29.jpg/800px-L%27Anse_au_Meadows_-_2_%2815683468336%29.jpg"
  caption: L'Anse au Meadows - 2 (15683468336)
  credit: Mike from Vancouver, Canada
  width: 3648
  height: 2736
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_Newfoundland._%2839555374000%29.jpg/1280px-Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_Newfoundland._%2839555374000%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_Newfoundland._%2839555374000%29.jpg/800px-Anse_aux_Meadows%2C_Newfoundland._%2839555374000%29.jpg"
  caption: Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. (39555374000)
  credit: Michel Rathwell from Cornwall, Canada
  width: 3392
  height: 2261
peoplesVoice:
- source: Erik the Red, Norse explorer and Greenland colonist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Erik reflects on his son Leif's westward voyage from Greenland around the year 1000, marking the first confirmed Norse presence in North America.
  excerpt: My son Leif has sailed beyond Greenland to lands of great forests and mild winters. He calls it Vinland. The sagas will remember this crossing.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 88
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Norse oral tradition recorded in Icelandic sagas (Groenlandinga saga, Eiriks saga rauða)
  publishedAt: 1000-09-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: An unnamed Icelandic merchant, trading community observer
  voiceType: industry
  context: Norse traders in Iceland debate the commercial viability of western exploration as news of Leif's voyage reaches trading posts around 1001-1002.
  excerpt: Leif speaks of walrus ivory and timber in abundance. If the route holds, Greenland's fur trade could pale beside what lies westward. Yet few ships return from such ventures.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 62
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Icelandic trade records and sagas
  publishedAt: 1001-06-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Thorfinn Karlsefni, Norse explorer and settler
  voiceType: developer
  context: Karlsefni organizes the most ambitious Norse colonization attempt in Vinland circa 1009-1010, with multiple ships and families seeking permanent settlement.
  excerpt: We carry livestock, timber, and families to Vinland. Where Leif explored, we shall build. This land will sustain Norse settlements for generations to come.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Eiriks saga rauða (Saga of Erik the Red)
  publishedAt: 1009-05-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: A Greenlandic settlement elder, colonial administrator
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: As reports of Vinland difficulties filter back to Greenland settlements around 1010-1012, an elder questions the wisdom of westward expansion.
  excerpt: Our colony thrives here in Greenland. These tales of Vinland speak of rich lands but also of hardship, conflict with natives, and ships lost. Why risk what we have built?
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 58
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Icelandic sagas and Greenlandic settlement chronicles
  publishedAt: 1011-08-03
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Bjorn Herjolfsson, Norse voyager and navigator
  voiceType: media
  context: A seasoned Norse captain who sailed with early Vinland expeditions shares observations with Iceland's trading community about the western voyage and its perils.
  excerpt: The ocean crossing is treacherous. We sighted great forests and grape-bearing vines, yet the natives are fierce. Three expeditions in twelve winters - only fragments endure.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 71
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Norse sagas and Greenland settlement records
  publishedAt: 1012-11-22
  originalLanguage: en
