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Winter 2000 - First Quarter
From the Editor
I'm feeling really punchy as I put together this issue. Must be spring fever, so please ignore the trivial comments you may find here. Odd things are striking me as funny. Then again it could be that I'm anticipating the Smithsonian's Exhibit and have to wait until it travels to a venue nearby.
To list the Festivals or not? Well, I added some of them. Note that Book Reviews is changing to Books. I'm always on the lookout for new publications, but actually ordering and reading them doesn't always fit my schedule. This will list new titles and occasional reviews - reader contributions are always welcome!
Below is another reference to the Vinland Map, a topic of minor rant to me. I will choose to believe the scientists' results - this is one of those areas where technology gives me the best clues to form an opinion.
NEWS ON THE WEB - Celebrating the "1000th Anniversary of the Viking Discovery of North America"
Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga Exhibit Smithsonian Natural History Museum
April 29th to August 13th, 2000. As mentioned last quarter, this exhibition explores the impact of Leif Ericsson's journey to Greenland and introduces new archaeological evidence that expands knowledge of early Scandinavian life. Among the some 200 artifacts will be jewelry, grave finds, medieval church carvings, Romantic-period (1800-1900s) paintings, and modern pop-culture items. Items on loan are from Iceland, Greenland, Finland, Canada, the United States, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Funding has been in the area of $3 million and the exhibition can cover 5,500 square feet. This is slated to travel for three years to New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and Ottawa at the Canadian Museum of Civilisation by 2002.
An exhibition catalog is at press, published by Smithsonian Institution Press.
Also, a companion two-hour Nova special, "Norse America", is to be broadcast in May on PBS.
See the exhibit page at
http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/viking/
Several web-articles discuss some information related to the exhibit :
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New World Vikings The Smithsonian Honors Norse Explorers in North America, Discovering Archaeology March/April issue, http://www.discoveringarchaeology.com/0800toc/8randn1-vikings.shtml
- "Vikings' legacy to be celebrated in cultural events." by June Sawyer of the Chicago Tribune is at http://www.pioneerplanet.com/seven-days/4/travel/docs/009994.htm
Newsweek has a piece written in a playful manner - some humor there...
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The Ancient Mariners, http://www.newsweek.com/nw-srv/printed/us/st/a17751-2000mar26.htm
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The Vinland Map is a Fake
Another study again states this was made in the early 20th century. Here's a piece by John Noble Wilford summing up the latest study. From the New York Times "Study Casts Disputed Map as False Link to Vikings"
at http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/022600sci-archaeo-canada.html
.
Many Newfoundland and Greenland Millennium Activities...
The remains of a Norse Settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland has long provided confirmed evidence that Norsemen of the Viking Age discovered North America "first". Well, actually, that they lived here for a while. Lots of activities will be
happening on Newfoundland's 'Viking Trail' Region to celebrate the 1000-year anniversary of the settlement, some are listed below.
Viking Millennium International Symposium, L'Anse aux Meadows
To be held at L'Anse aux Meadows areas September 16th to 18th, 2000. The Academic Colloquium - Voyage to Vinland
in St. John's Newfoundland and the Main Conference (General Public Welcome)
September 18th - 24th, 2000 at L'Anse aux Meadows & the Labrador Straits.
For more information see http://www.vikingsymposium.nf.ca
Viking scholars, experts, and enthusiasts from around the world will attend this nine-day event. The sagas, recent archaeological excavations, Viking exploration in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Viking-aboriginal interaction will be explored. Newfoundland and Labrador entertainment will complement the sessions.
Full Circle - First Contact: Vikings and Skraelings in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland Museum's Viking Millennium Exhibit Project is to open in June 2nd at the St. John's Arts and Culture Centre from June 2 to August 6, 2000. The exhibit goes to the Corner Brook Museum from August 25 to October 9, and will then tour 10 venues in Canada and the United States, and five venues in the Nordic countries and Europe through 2001.
Led by the Newfoundland and Labrador Museum, this 2,800 sq. ft. exhibit will tell the story of the Vikings at L'Anse aux Meadows and contact with aboriginal peoples. The exhibit webpage is at http://www.gov.nf.ca/fullcircle/
Viking Ships Sail this Summer
Viking Sail 2000 is to arrive at L'Anse aux Meadows Historic Site on July 28th. This and several other sailing events are to bring Viking Age and Historic reconstructed ships to a variety of North American locations this summer.
Norstead Re-Enactors
Norstead: A Grand Encampment at L'Anse aux Meadows is a living history encampment of about 100 Viking Age Re-enactors to group July 17-Sept. 8 at the Historic Site. There
will be weekly themes, including music, Viking weddings, and battles. Experience Viking food and culture, learn about boat building, weapon making, one-needle knitting, wool spinning, weaving, gardening, and iron-working. The peak period of Norstead will be the arrival on July 28 of the Viking fleet comprising Viking Sail 2000.
Related Links Include:
A
National Ottawa Citizen story on a statue of Gudridur Thorbjarnardottir and her son Snorri,
who was believed to be born in 1005 at L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. Gudridr was married to Lief Eriksson's brother Thorstein. Prime Minister Jean Chretien was presented with this statue of a Viking mother and child by Icelandic Prime Minister David Oddsson on April 6.
The Greenlanders Just Disappeared
"The Fate of Greenland's Vikings" explores reasons the Greenland settlements dwindled.
Archaeology, February 28, 2000, has an online feature by Dale Mackenzie Brown on the Greenland Settlers at http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/
Why did they Disappear?
"Vanished Vikings" by Sarah Richardson in Discover Vol. 21 No. 3 (March 2000) has another article on Greenland's Norse inhabitants at
http://www.discover.com/mar_00/featvanished.html
Read More at:
Other News -
TV Mucks About in York
British Channel 4 spent several days in York in September, 1999 visiting archaeological sites of St Leonard's Hospital, a roman era cemetery , and Norse Walmsley. Check out their diary of activities at http://www.channel4.com/timeteamlive/
Minersville HS goes boating
A "Wow, what a cool project" for this one! During March Education Week had a webstory on Minersville Area High School in Pennsylvania and how a group of students in Mr. Eisenhuth's world history class were led in a shipbuilding adventure. They've a webpage called
The MAHS Viking Boat Project at http://www.angelfire.com/pa/mhsviking/
The boat, based on one of the smaller boats of the Gokstad finds was completed and sailed in the summer 1999.
CONFERENCES AND LECTURES
GALL-GHAIDHEIL: The Western Isles in the Viking World
Museum nan Eilean & Arc-eogrlaiche nan Eilean Siar, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Hebrides on April 3-7, 2000.
From about 900 to 1400 c.e. Norsemen occupied the Hebrides and influenced the culture and archaeology of the Western Isles.
Gall-Ghaidheil: The Western Isles in the Viking World will be a conference on recent research examining
the linguistics, numismatics, archaeology and history of the Viking and Norse settlements along with the importance of the Hebrides to their seafaring culture.
Lecturers include Dr Colleen Batey, Dr Alex Woolf, Mary MacLeod, Dr Niall Sharples, Dr Helen Smith, Iain Crawford, Olwyn Owen, Professor James Graham-Campbell, Tim Neighbour, Trevor Cowie, and Peder Gammeltoft.
Viking Theme Festivals
- April 29-30 VIKING FEST, Georgetown, Texas.
http://www.vikingfest.com
- May 1-3 VAPNATAK, JORVIK VIKING FESTIVAL Jolablot 2000, Jorvik Viking Centre, York, England.
http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/festival.html http://www.bugeurope.com/festivals/may002.html
- June16-July2 - VIKING FESTIVAL, Frederikssund, Denmark. (Sorry, no link.)
- June22-25 VIKING FESTIVAL IN HAFNARFJORDUR, Iceland. The Third International Viking Festival 2000 in Hafnarfjörður on 22 - 25 June will be held in
Vidistadatun Park, Hafnarfjördur, Iceland. The organizers have been arranging for a variety of cultural activities including Indians from Canada and Inuit craftsmen from Greenland. Plans include Viking theme handicrafts, feasts, ceremonies, and a market. A varied program includes such activities as wrestling, drama, sailing, storytelling, a horse show and scholarly lectures.
http://www.hafnarfjordur.is/vikings/
http://www2.hafnarfj.is/hafnarfj-english.nsf/pages/towns-viking
----for more festivals see the Spring 2000 Spring Hugin & Munin
The Age of Conversion in Northern Europe
Conference on 17-22 July, 2000 at King's Manor, York, England.
To mark the comming millennium the Department of Archaeology and the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York are hosting this major international conference.
Art, architecture and archaeology of the first millennium of Christianity in Northern Europe, check the conference web-page
for scheduling of specific Norse topics.
http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/arch/york2000/conference.htm
Viking Millennium International Symposium
L'Anse aux Meadows area,
Labrador Straits, Corner Brook, Labrador, Canada, Sept. 16-24, 2000.
Jump to the details by clicking here.
MUSEUM EXHIBITS
Living and Reliving the Sagas:
Icelandic Life and Legend
The Library of Congress with the National Library of Iceland and Cornell
University presents Living and Reliving the Sagas: Icelandic Life and Legend at Great Hall North, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., May
24, 2000 to July 15, 2000. This is multimedia exhibition of Icelandic manuscripts and rare books focusing on the Sagas and Icelandic culture of the medieval era.
The exhibit opens in Iceland and is to travel to Cornell University, New York and Winnipeg. See info at http://lcweb.loc.gov/events/exhibits.html
Kings of the North Sea AD 250-850
Two more organizations, the The North Sea Viking Legacy and Interreg IIC, have a travelling exhibition called
'Kings of the North Sea AD 250-850' to open during the 4th Quarter of 2000 at at the Museum of Archeology in Stavanger. A conference may open the exhibit. (No links.)
BOOKS
- Thor Heyerdahl, 1999. Let the Conquered Speak: The Many Discoveries of America, Random House. ISBN: 0679440941, 256 pages, $25-$18.75
- A. G. Smith, 1999. Viking Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series), Dover Publications. ISBN: 0486404692, Paperback - 48 pages, $5.95
- The Editors of Time-Life Books, 1999. Sagas of the Norsemen : Viking and German Myth (Myth & Mankind , Vol 5, No 20), Time-Life Books. ISBN: 0705435334
- William W. Fitzhugh
and Elizabeth I. Ward, editors, 2000. Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. A Coffee-Table-Book and/or Catalogue based on the Exhibit. ISBN: 1-56098-970-x (cloth); 1-56098-995-5 (paper)
- Jacqueline Morley, Mark Bergin (Illustrator), 2000. Viking Town, Metropolis. Paperback, $8
- John Haywood, 2000. Encyclopaedia of the Viking Age, Thames and Hudson. ISBN: 0500019827, $34.95
- A new book in pre-press Vikings in Wales: An Archaeological Quest to be published in 2000. http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/archaeol/anglesey/ is the cover page for this project by the Dept. of Archaeology and Numismatics and the National Museums & Galleries of Wales. There is a detailed web-site detailing the day to day digs at Anglesby, Wales.
This is by the Dept. of Archaeology and Numismatics and the National Museums & Galleries. The Museums sent a team of archaeologists out from Aug 22 to Sept. 1999 to conduct a dig for Viking Age artifacts at Llanbedrgoch led by Dr. Mark Redknap. The Viking Age settlement at Llanbedrgoch came to light in 1994.
- New book about Gausel, Stavanger, Norway archaeological finds is planned for 2001...(No link)
- Have you seen "Vikings", an Encarta Encyclopedia Article? Contributed By: Joel T. Rosenthal, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., History Prof, SUNY at Stony Brook. The URL is :encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/27/0272F000.htm and the page has a list of interesting links.
Know that the Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Online Encyclopedia 2000, http://encarta.msn.com, is (c) 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE...
The 13th warrior is out on videotape, and you can get your very own copy for under US$10. I still haven't seen this movie.
Vikings Tryouts
There was an announcement that the Minnesota Vikings Football team will be holding Cheerleading tryouts this spring. See http://www.wcco.com/sports/vikes/stories/sports-vikes-20000328-214011.html for some of the details.
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