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Point Rosee

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Point Rosee
Point Rosee is located in Newfoundland
Point Rosee
Location of Point Rosee in Newfoundland
Nearest cityPort aux Basques

Point Rosee (French: Pointe Rosée[1]) is a headland near the Grand Codroy Estuary at the southwest extreme of the island of Newfoundland, on the Atlantic coast of Canada, where a team of archaeologists led by Sarah Parcak have discovered what they believe to be a Norse settlement. If confirmed, it would be the second Viking settlement discovered in the Americas.

Examining infrared satellite images and high-resolution aerial photographs in 2015, Parcak found a site where dark soil discoloration and rectangular features suggested the presence of ancient buildings. Magnetometer readings at the site showed high concentrations of iron. During a two-week exploratory dig in June 2015, trenches then uncovered turf walls, a style of construction used by Vikings, and signs of iron smelting: a boulder that had been used as a hearth and cracked by heat, ash residues, and bog iron (roasted iron ore).[1][2][3][4] According to Douglas Bolender, an archaeologist specializing in the Vikings, only the Norse would have been smelting iron in this region.[5] Carbon dating indicated the site dates to between 800 and 1300 CE.[1] Further excavation is planned in 2016.[2] The archaeologists think the site may have been a temporary iron-working camp, but it is possible it was a permanent Norse settlement.[3] However, Birgitta Wallace, an expert on the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, is unsure of the identification as a Norse site.[4]

The site—dubbed Point Rosee by the researchers[2]—is a remote headland above a beach on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, approximately 600 kilometres (370 mi) south of L'Anse aux Meadows, which is near the northernmost point in Newfoundland, and is the only Norse settlement in North America to have been discovered so far.[1][2][5]

Parcak's research was in connection with a Nova documentary called Vikings Unearthed, which will be shown on-line and on BBC and PBS television stations and will feature Point Rosee.[2][3][4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "La probable découverte d'un 2e site viking en Amérique relance les spéculations". L'Express (in French). AFP. 2 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Blumenthal, Ralph (March 31, 2016). "View From Space Hints at a New Viking Site in North America". The New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c Strauss, Mark (March 31, 2016). "Discovery Could Rewrite History of Vikings in New World". National Geographic.
  4. ^ a b c Barry, Garrett (April 1, 2016). "Potential Viking site found in Newfoundland". CBC.
  5. ^ a b c Mossbergen, Dominique (April 1, 2016). "Possible Viking Find Could Rewrite North American History". Huffington Post.
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