In the 1960s, the archeologists discovered that the Vikings had settled at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada. The discovery caused major sensation as it was the first proof that Vikings had arrived at the shore of America five centuries ahead of settling in Columbus. The land that is far to the west was discovered by Leif Eriksson, a seaman who named it Vinland the Goodi. However, Vinland did not attract the interest of European settlers. The growth of Vinland was dependent upon the Norse settlement in Greenland. Greenland at the time had close to 500 settlers. The settlers were too few, and it would not make sense for others to move to the west.
Despite the resources in Vinland, Greenland was also endowed with adequate resources and large land that had not been fully explored. The Vikings did not see any need that would motivate them to leave Greenland and travel to Vinland to settle there. The distance between Greenland and Vinland was also a big barrier. The two geographical regions were set apart by over 2500 kilometers making it a difficult journey to navigate. Even though Vinland was endowed with plenty of grapes, the land lacked other highly essential resources, at the time such as spices, luxury metals, fabrics, and weaponry. The Europeans occupied the larger America almost 500 years after Leif had left following the discovery of new routes by Christopher Columbus. The settlement was inspired since the Ottoman Empire in 1453 caused the shutting of the overland trade road, called the Silk Roadii. The Spanish were the first settlers followed by the Portuguese and the Nerds.
References
- Kinsella, P. Leif Erikson’s voyage to Vinland. (2021). Web.
- Mark. J.J, European Colonization of the Americas. (2020). Web.