The Norsemen arrived in Greenland around 982 A.D. and left the country again during the 14th century
DESCENDANTS OF ERIk THE RED IN GREENLAND
There is a statue of Leif Eriksson in the small sheep farming settlement of Qassiarsuk in Southern Greenland. Leaning against a heavy battle axe he looks out over the Erik’s Fiord, named after his father, the famous viking Erik the Red, and Leif seems to keep watch over the community while at the same time uneasily gazing towards the horizon.
Maybe he is thinking of his family’s origins in Iceland, about his people moving there from the shores of Norway, before they travelled west and ended up as Arctic farmers in Southern Greenland during the end of the 9th century. Or could it be that his thoughts were leading further west, as it was Leif who in the year 1003 A.D. as the first European ever, set foot in North America, after having heard his countryman Bjarni describe a foreign coast west of Greenland.
Exploring Viking Ruins & Climate Change in UNESCO South Greenland
Discover how archaeologists are working to preserve Viking ruins in UNESCO South Greenland while addressing the impact of climate change on these ancient sites.
“This was my dream trip because I want to explore places where the Vikings traveled and inhabited. I enjoyed seeing the ruins and meeting some of the archaeologists doing the dig at Igaliku. Two days earlier they had just found some old writings!”