Living on the Edge: The Environmental Impacts of Viking Settlement on the Landscape of Greenland

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Living on the Edge: The Environmental Impacts of Viking Settlement on the Landscape of Greenland
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This is a past event

According to written accounts, Greenland was colonised around the year AD 985 by Norse (Viking) settlers departing from Iceland that were led by Erik the Red. The settlements that were founded endured for roughly four centuries before eventually being abandoned – for reasons that are still being debated – during the early 15th century AD.

The settlers established several hundred individual farmsteads, where they raised domesticated animals and grew hay. Connections were maintained with Europe through their Christian faith and trade in rare Arctic ‘high value, low bulk’ commodities, most notably walrus ivory.

During the course of their daily activities, these incoming settlers had significant impact on landscape and environment. These can most visibly be traced through the archaeological features (eg. buildings) that remain upstanding in the landscape today, but also through the investigation of fossils – such as pollen grains, seeds and charcoal – that remain preserved (archived) in the sedimentary records contained in peat bogs and lakes.

In this presentation on Tuesday 14 March from 4pm (GMT), Dr Ed Schofield will discuss the environmental impacts of Norse settlers on the vegetation and landscape of Greenland. The content draws heavily upon the results of collaborative fieldwork and research conducted over the last 20 years in the fields of environmental archaeology and palaeoenvironmental studies (‘palaeo’: past, ancient). 

If you would like to join this event please email alumni@abdn.ac.uk as online registrations have now closed. 

This event is an online event and will also be recorded and shared afterwards.

Speaker
Dr Ed Schofield
Contact

alumni@abdn.ac.uk