{"id":43988,"date":"2026-09-20T22:10:43","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T22:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=43988"},"modified":"2026-09-20T22:10:43","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T22:10:43","slug":"ancient-tree-rings-confirm-vikings-were-in-north-america-in-ad-1021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=43988","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Tree Rings Confirm Vikings Were in North America in AD 1021"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\" dir=\"auto\" data-start=\"2015\" data-end=\"2412\">Scientists have established an exact calendar year for Norse activity in North America. Researchers studying wooden remains from L\u2019Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada, found evidence showing that Vikings were cutting trees there in <strong data-start=\"2252\" data-end=\"2263\">AD 1021<\/strong>. The archaeological site is recognized by Parks Canada as the first authenticated Norse site in North America.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\" data-start=\"2414\" data-end=\"2871\">The discovery came from three pieces of wood originating from three different trees. Each showed evidence of cutting and slicing with metal blades. Researchers were able to connect the wood to Norse activity because metal tools of this type were not produced by the Indigenous population in that area at the time, while archaeological evidence at L\u2019Anse aux Meadows already demonstrates Norse ironworking and carpentry.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\" data-start=\"2873\" data-end=\"3286\">The key to finding the exact year was an unusual increase in atmospheric radiocarbon associated with a cosmic-radiation event in AD 993. Scientists identified that distinctive signal within the tree rings and then counted outward toward the trees\u2019 preserved outer edges. All three usable pieces independently pointed to the same result: the trees had been felled in <strong data-start=\"3239\" data-end=\"3247\">1021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\" data-start=\"3288\" data-end=\"3764\">The discovery provides the first secure calendar date for European presence across the Atlantic before Columbus\u2019s voyages. Columbus reached the Caribbean in 1492, making the confirmed Norse activity at L\u2019Anse aux Meadows 471 years earlier. However, 1021 should not necessarily be interpreted as the Vikings\u2019 first year in North America; it is the exact year in which the study can securely demonstrate that Norse people were active there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scientists have established an exact calendar year for Norse activity in North America. Researchers studying wooden remains from L\u2019Anse aux Meadows in\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ancient Tree Rings Confirm Vikings Were in North America in AD 1021 - New50<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new50.info\/?p=43988\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ancient Tree Rings Confirm Vikings Were in North America in AD 1021 - New50\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Scientists have established an exact calendar year for Norse activity in North America. 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