Point Rosee

Point Rosee
Nearest city Port aux Basques

Point Rosee (French: Pointe Rosée[1]) or previously known as Stormy Point[2] is a headland near Codroy[3] at the southwest end of the island of Newfoundland, on the Atlantic coast of Canada.

In 2015, a team of archaeologists led by Sarah Parcak and Gregory Mumford have discovered what they believe to be a Norse settlement. If confirmed, it would be the second known Viking settlement in Newfoundland and hence the second North American settlement west of Greenland.

Discovery

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 roasting bog iron to produce metal: a boulder that had been used as a hearth and cracked by heat, and residues of ash and iron.[1][4][5][6][7][8][9] According to Douglas Bolender, an archaeologist specializing in the Vikings, only the Norse would have been smelting iron in this region.[10] However, Birgitta Wallace, an expert on the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, is unsure of the identification as a Norse site.[6]

Carbon dating indicated the site dates to between 800 and 1300 CE.[8] Further excavation is planned in 2016.[4][7] The archaeologists think the site may have been a temporary iron-working camp, but it is possible it was a permanent Norse settlement.[5][9]

Location

The site—dubbed Point Rosee by the researchers[4]—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 so far is the only confirmed Norse settlement in North America.[1][4][10] Some area residents hope the discovery will boost tourism in the Codroy Valley.[11]

Media

Parcak's research was in connection with a Nova documentary called Vikings Unearthed, which aired in April 2016 and featured Point Rosee.[4][5][6][8][10]

See also

References

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