How did the Vikings Reach America 500 years before Columbus?
video description
They arent historical sites, the archeologists were unable of finding phisical proofs for their staments, and out of thin air have invented not just one but several settlements. They havent discovered the foundations of any bulding, no artifacts, no potterry, no tools, no weapons, no burial sites, no debris, no anything.
And even if it was true that the vikings settled in north america that wouldnt mean that they had discovered America. -To discover- means to unveil what was hidden- that is, to provide an elaborate knowledge that was completely unknown by the rest of mankind.
Columbus mapped the lands he found, providing the right coordinates, latitude and longitude, and generated navigation charts so other people could find the new continent by themselves. Something that the vikings didnt do. They didnt map anything, didnt measure anything and didnt tell anyone. Thats not a discovery. Thats why their trips had zero historical, social or political consequences neither to Scandinavia, nor to America nor to the rest of the world. Christopher Columbus discovered a new continent for Europe, Africa and Asia which formerly was unknown by the three of them. And also discovered for the Americans, which population had been islated for the las 30, 000 years the existeance of other 3 continents (a Spanish expedition would discover Oceania some time later too.
The argument -Columbus didnt discover anything because there was people already living there- is typical of a 12 year old and implies a huge ignorance. Following that same train of thought you couldnt ever discover anything, because, didnt gravity or electricity exist before Newton and Franklin discovered them? Of course, they existed but no one knew about them.
And yes, of course there was people living there, the problem is that they didnt know what was -there-. They hadnt any cartographical knoledge so they didnt have maps. They didnt know what their countries looked like and if they had been taken out of their lands they wouldnt have been able to come back. Thats why mesoamericans didnt had contact with natives from the great planes, the Caribbean, the Incas or any other civilizations or tribes of North or South America. Each of those peoples lived basically isolated and only traded with their closests neighbors.
When Columbus arrived to America it was not only that Europeans found out about America, but also native Americans found out about the rest of the world and their own continent. That gave a sense of unity to the whole continent that they didnt have prior to the Spaniards arrival. Columbus discovery of America was the greatest deed in the history of mankind up to the landing on the Moon in 1969. It was the starting point of the first real globalization and the begining of the Modern Age as well.\r\n
Date: 2023-12-16
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Comments and reviews: 29
-petemclean1352
There is also much speculation that the Vikings from Greenlands western settlement, actually ended up in Hudsons Bay.
And then eventually into the Nelson River, which led them to the interior of North America.
There are debated viking artifacts found in Northern Minnesota. Like the Kensington Rune stone.
Which if genuine, documents their journey from Northern Canada, down to Minnesota.
There are also rumors that there are ship burials somewhere along the Nelson River.
The rumor was an archeologist found ship burials, and was promptly shut down by the Canadian government.
And an interesting side note, a very well known Canadian author, Farley Mowatt. Who spent a great deal of time in Northern Manitoba. Also incorporated a viking burial tomb, into his book -Lost in the Barrens-
Yes its a fictional book, but its gotta make you wonder what stories the local natives might have been telling to Mowatt, in order for him to incorporate some Viking lore, into his book.
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There is also much speculation that the Vikings from Greenlands western settlement, actually ended up in Hudsons Bay.
And then eventually into the Nelson River, which led them to the interior of North America.
There are debated viking artifacts found in Northern Minnesota. Like the Kensington Rune stone.
Which if genuine, documents their journey from Northern Canada, down to Minnesota.
There are also rumors that there are ship burials somewhere along the Nelson River.
The rumor was an archeologist found ship burials, and was promptly shut down by the Canadian government.
And an interesting side note, a very well known Canadian author, Farley Mowatt. Who spent a great deal of time in Northern Manitoba. Also incorporated a viking burial tomb, into his book -Lost in the Barrens-
Yes its a fictional book, but its gotta make you wonder what stories the local natives might have been telling to Mowatt, in order for him to incorporate some Viking lore, into his book.
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-vladywashere
It is a non-sense hypothesis. The point is not -discovering- (the land wasn-t empty) but claiming land, settling, starting a civilization from there. The Viking did not succeed, this sort of discovery led to nothing, even in historical terms. Vikings were too few, also at home, so couldn-t basically hold the settlement and resupply. By the year 900 or 1000, the Vikings had a modest level of civilization or knowledge, enough to take the empty Iceland, but not enough for the inhabited North America. Centuries later, we know the story. It took nothing to the Europeans to take everything on their way. Few ships changed the course of history. Viking did not change the course of American history.
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It is a non-sense hypothesis. The point is not -discovering- (the land wasn-t empty) but claiming land, settling, starting a civilization from there. The Viking did not succeed, this sort of discovery led to nothing, even in historical terms. Vikings were too few, also at home, so couldn-t basically hold the settlement and resupply. By the year 900 or 1000, the Vikings had a modest level of civilization or knowledge, enough to take the empty Iceland, but not enough for the inhabited North America. Centuries later, we know the story. It took nothing to the Europeans to take everything on their way. Few ships changed the course of history. Viking did not change the course of American history.
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-aphextwin5712
Greenland already is part of North America, sure it-s an island (and the world-s largest, but so is Newfoundland (an island. Certainly, Greenland is quite different than most of North America, but Canada differs a lot from Florida or Central America.
And all this shows that categories often get fuzzy around the edges. Just take the (half)continent of North America which contains two (or three) main regions, one which is called North America, the other being Central America (the third being the Caribbean, though some might lump it together with Central America.
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Greenland already is part of North America, sure it-s an island (and the world-s largest, but so is Newfoundland (an island. Certainly, Greenland is quite different than most of North America, but Canada differs a lot from Florida or Central America.
And all this shows that categories often get fuzzy around the edges. Just take the (half)continent of North America which contains two (or three) main regions, one which is called North America, the other being Central America (the third being the Caribbean, though some might lump it together with Central America.
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knowledgia
I've stood in the remnants of the Toolie houses outside of Pond Inlet, at the top of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada.
The Vikings got there in the 11th century using the fabled NorthWest passage(which was a real thing Greta, thanks to naturally occuring, cyclical weather long before domesticated herds, much less evil catalytic converters)
The Inuit speak of Scottish and Corsican whalers that used to visit and seed them long before Columbus as well.
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I've stood in the remnants of the Toolie houses outside of Pond Inlet, at the top of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada.
The Vikings got there in the 11th century using the fabled NorthWest passage(which was a real thing Greta, thanks to naturally occuring, cyclical weather long before domesticated herds, much less evil catalytic converters)
The Inuit speak of Scottish and Corsican whalers that used to visit and seed them long before Columbus as well.
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-ferrer985
I think everyone who reads an average of more then 2 lines knows that Columbus being the first to discover America is highly disputed. It's all a matter of perspective. Yes he was the first in a conquest for new land to be colonized for trade and resources. After which things moved quite quickly and America as a whole became a European settlement. None of such things happened as a result of prior 'discoveries' of the land.
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I think everyone who reads an average of more then 2 lines knows that Columbus being the first to discover America is highly disputed. It's all a matter of perspective. Yes he was the first in a conquest for new land to be colonized for trade and resources. After which things moved quite quickly and America as a whole became a European settlement. None of such things happened as a result of prior 'discoveries' of the land.
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-paulingvar
The three names of the lands are interesting. A province Halland in western Sweden has the same etymology as Helluland. And -mark - meaning forrest i still seen in places ( Denmark for instance. But I have another idea about Vinland. There are places in Norway and western Sweden where this means grass ( or meadow. Remember they were farmers! My theory is that this was forgotten when the sagas were written.
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The three names of the lands are interesting. A province Halland in western Sweden has the same etymology as Helluland. And -mark - meaning forrest i still seen in places ( Denmark for instance. But I have another idea about Vinland. There are places in Norway and western Sweden where this means grass ( or meadow. Remember they were farmers! My theory is that this was forgotten when the sagas were written.
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knowledgia
They had a -Doctrine of Discovery- Any thing discovered by a non Christian can be claimed by the first Christian to discover it. In fact they could raid, rape, kill, Rob, plunder, enslave anyone not a Christian and it was legally acceptable by other Christian-s. Christian sense of fair play. Vikings was not Christians they were pagan.
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They had a -Doctrine of Discovery- Any thing discovered by a non Christian can be claimed by the first Christian to discover it. In fact they could raid, rape, kill, Rob, plunder, enslave anyone not a Christian and it was legally acceptable by other Christian-s. Christian sense of fair play. Vikings was not Christians they were pagan.
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-dbsti3006
Vikings discovered North North America. At the time, many did not know that the Southern portion of North America and Central America even existed until Columbus's time. Both discovered different portions of America at different times. Of course the Scandinavians showed up first, but to a different portion of -America- at the time.
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Vikings discovered North North America. At the time, many did not know that the Southern portion of North America and Central America even existed until Columbus's time. Both discovered different portions of America at different times. Of course the Scandinavians showed up first, but to a different portion of -America- at the time.
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-trolltalwar
I dont like the -but people were already there! - argument because people can, infact, be discovered too. The native americans were isolated from the entire world and had no idea about the existence of europeans, asians, africans and middle easterners who had been interacting with each other for thousands of years and vice versa.
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I dont like the -but people were already there! - argument because people can, infact, be discovered too. The native americans were isolated from the entire world and had no idea about the existence of europeans, asians, africans and middle easterners who had been interacting with each other for thousands of years and vice versa.
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-44excalibur
-Or can we even call any of it a discovery, given the vast population of indigenous tribes that the continent already hosted? -
The so-called -indigenous- tribes actually descended from Asian tribes who crossed over from Siberia to Alaska and settled the continent 9, 000 years earlier.
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-Or can we even call any of it a discovery, given the vast population of indigenous tribes that the continent already hosted? -
The so-called -indigenous- tribes actually descended from Asian tribes who crossed over from Siberia to Alaska and settled the continent 9, 000 years earlier.
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-Smokin_Phat_Dabs
Fun Fact: The Vikings weren't the first to use that style of sailing vessel. In matter if fact, they were the last due the fact that design has been around for thousands of years. One such culture would of been the Roman Empire and they copied theirs from another more older culture.
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Fun Fact: The Vikings weren't the first to use that style of sailing vessel. In matter if fact, they were the last due the fact that design has been around for thousands of years. One such culture would of been the Roman Empire and they copied theirs from another more older culture.
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-jiritichy7967
Of course it was a discovery - for Europeans, who did not know about it. It has nothing to do with the fact that people already lived there. Was Australia discovered?
While the discovery by Columbus became a general knowledge, the discovery of Ericson and it significance was lost.
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Of course it was a discovery - for Europeans, who did not know about it. It has nothing to do with the fact that people already lived there. Was Australia discovered?
While the discovery by Columbus became a general knowledge, the discovery of Ericson and it significance was lost.
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-peterosmanski7466
Know why Columbus gets the credit? Because nothing came of the Vikings' voyages to America. Nobody in Europe outside Scandinavia knew about these voyages. Only after Columbus did permanent European colonization of America take place. It ain't a discovery if nobody knows about it.
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Know why Columbus gets the credit? Because nothing came of the Vikings' voyages to America. Nobody in Europe outside Scandinavia knew about these voyages. Only after Columbus did permanent European colonization of America take place. It ain't a discovery if nobody knows about it.
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-Dora-hi2nw
Columbus -did- discover the Americas, he also discovered a new kind of people living there. To discover something also includes seeing it for the first time -yourself- or for whatever group you may represent, it is not specifically finding something nobody ever knew about before.
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Columbus -did- discover the Americas, he also discovered a new kind of people living there. To discover something also includes seeing it for the first time -yourself- or for whatever group you may represent, it is not specifically finding something nobody ever knew about before.
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knowledgia
The sea faring technology and supply systems just weren-t ready in 1000 AD for the Vikings to maintain and grow a sustainable foot print in the americas. They stayed a couple hundred years in their nothern Maine and Newfoundland settlements until eventually they hurried back home.
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The sea faring technology and supply systems just weren-t ready in 1000 AD for the Vikings to maintain and grow a sustainable foot print in the americas. They stayed a couple hundred years in their nothern Maine and Newfoundland settlements until eventually they hurried back home.
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-MyMarkn
Something else you didn't mention. Acorns and coconut husks were found in l'anse meadows. There are no oak trees or coconuts that far north. This proves they traveled much farther south, which makes sense if they were in North America for 20 years or more.
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Something else you didn't mention. Acorns and coconut husks were found in l'anse meadows. There are no oak trees or coconuts that far north. This proves they traveled much farther south, which makes sense if they were in North America for 20 years or more.
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-joeshmoe7789
They barely found it and explored areas no one lives in to this day. They didn't tell anyone what they supposedly found. What they found was no better than Greenland. Columbus told Europe what he found and proved his theory the world was round.
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They barely found it and explored areas no one lives in to this day. They didn't tell anyone what they supposedly found. What they found was no better than Greenland. Columbus told Europe what he found and proved his theory the world was round.
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-fatherofhistory
I'm a big fan of history, and this video is a great addition to my knowledge of the Vikings. I love how it combines archaeological evidence with historical records to paint a complete picture of their journey to America.
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I'm a big fan of history, and this video is a great addition to my knowledge of the Vikings. I love how it combines archaeological evidence with historical records to paint a complete picture of their journey to America.
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-Kevin-xi6ts
My uncle knew Leif Ericsson back in the day. He said the dude was cool and loved to party. They travelled around in Leif-s ship for a couple years until my uncle went to work with his dad at his vacuum cleaner repair shop.
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My uncle knew Leif Ericsson back in the day. He said the dude was cool and loved to party. They travelled around in Leif-s ship for a couple years until my uncle went to work with his dad at his vacuum cleaner repair shop.
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-csjrogerson2377
Seems to be an awful lot of petty argument over 20 years for something that happened 1000 years ago in an age and by a society where written evidence was very hard to come by. 20 yrs is close enough at that point.
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Seems to be an awful lot of petty argument over 20 years for something that happened 1000 years ago in an age and by a society where written evidence was very hard to come by. 20 yrs is close enough at that point.
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-James_Knott
Of course, the Vikings continued on into the middle of the continent, where they became the Minnesota Vikings. -
Actually, Greenland is part of North America, so that's when they actually discovered the continent.
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Of course, the Vikings continued on into the middle of the continent, where they became the Minnesota Vikings. -
Actually, Greenland is part of North America, so that's when they actually discovered the continent.
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knowledgia
Has there been any evidence of any European diseases in that part of North America that may have been introduced by the Vikings? I haven't heard of any but that would substantiate or not a lot of the Viking sagas!
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Has there been any evidence of any European diseases in that part of North America that may have been introduced by the Vikings? I haven't heard of any but that would substantiate or not a lot of the Viking sagas!
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-huntman1412
I think the confusion is that Christopher Columbus discovered America for Europe. That-s different than America being discovered by Europe. The Chinese and possibly Romans were there earlier as well.
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I think the confusion is that Christopher Columbus discovered America for Europe. That-s different than America being discovered by Europe. The Chinese and possibly Romans were there earlier as well.
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-Koellenburg
it depends how we define -discover-.
Columbus discovered America for the Euroafrasian Knowledge bubble. While the viking discovery didnt spread into this bubble and got mostly forgotten instead.
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it depends how we define -discover-.
Columbus discovered America for the Euroafrasian Knowledge bubble. While the viking discovery didnt spread into this bubble and got mostly forgotten instead.
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-dzinypinydoroviny
I'd say we credit Columbus because the Vikings came, left and that's it. Columbus's trips were a part of a huge series of events that would change the world forever.
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I'd say we credit Columbus because the Vikings came, left and that's it. Columbus's trips were a part of a huge series of events that would change the world forever.
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-jamieheim8009
I feel as if people define the indigenous as animals when infact they aren't. If you want to give credit on who discovered America, it's the indigenous people. Fact
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I feel as if people define the indigenous as animals when infact they aren't. If you want to give credit on who discovered America, it's the indigenous people. Fact
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-Fabermain
the only one still considder america a discovery by columbus. is americans. everyone else are taught about the vikings in europe. even 20 years ago when i graduated
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the only one still considder america a discovery by columbus. is americans. everyone else are taught about the vikings in europe. even 20 years ago when i graduated
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-OZ6JO
I wonder why I can't find anyone who tries to tell you that your way of saying Leif (like Leave) is wrong. Leif is pronouced Life. I know as it's the name of my son.
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I wonder why I can't find anyone who tries to tell you that your way of saying Leif (like Leave) is wrong. Leif is pronouced Life. I know as it's the name of my son.
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-dukekelloway5328
The actual site is very well documented and pretty definitive in it's evidence. It is certainly worth a visit by anyone interested in Norse travel.
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The actual site is very well documented and pretty definitive in it's evidence. It is certainly worth a visit by anyone interested in Norse travel.
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