History
L'Anse aux Meadows, near Saint Anthony at Newfoundland's northern tip, is the only undisputed pre-Columbian European site in the Americas outside Greenland and a crucial center for understanding Norse exploration westward. Identified in 1960 and excavated from 1961 to 1968, it revealed eight sod-built Norse structures, workshops, and more than 800 objects, including evidence of ironworking, carpentry, and boat repair. Dating places Norse activity there around 990 to 1050 CE, with tree-ring evidence for 1021. The remains suggest a base for exploration rather than a permanent colony, while butternuts indicate journeys farther south. The area also saw Indigenous use long before and after the Norse presence.
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