Eyes On.... VIKING EXPLORERS
Teacher Page

OPENING OUR EYES
"The broad outlines of Viking culture and achievement have been known to experts for decades," observed Michael Lemonick and Andrea Dorfman in "The Amazing Vikings," a turn-of-the century article in Time Magazine. But, they added, "a spate of new scholarship, based largely on archaeological excavations in Europe, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada, has begun to fill in the illusive details." Those details have now coalesced into a picture of the first known Europeans to explore North America, around 1000 CE.

In April 2000, the Smithsonian Institution unveiled its remarkable interpretation of that picture, with a traveling exhibit, "Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga" (underwritten by The Nordic Council of Ministers and Volvo). Among other effects of contemplating this exhibit was the realization that it's time to rewrite our history books. Time to take Leif Eriksson and his Viking colleagues out of the footnotes and allow them their rightful place in North American history — 500 years before Columbus arrived. This unit on "Viking Explorers" will help students make that adjustment and examine the questions it raises.

CURRICULUM STANDARDS
"Eyes On Viking Explorers" will help you address several objectives currently proposed for education in the social studies. Here are two — one from Expectations of Excellence (EE), published by the National Council for the Social Studies, the other from the National Standards for History (NSH). Students using the unit should be better able to:

• "trace major patterns of long-distance trade ... and analyze ways in which trade has contributed to economic and cultural change in particular societies or civilizations." — "World History Across the Eras" (NSH)

• "make judgements about how ... technology [has] transformed our understanding of time, space, place, and human-environment actions." — "Science, Technology, & Society" (EE)

CRITICAL TERMS
Historians disagree on the proper use of the terms Norse and Vikings. In this unit, Norse refers to the culture and places from which the explorers came. Viking is applied to all Norse explorers during the historic era covered by the unit. There's an excellent account of the origin of the term Viking in the recent Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, edited by William W. Fitzhugh and Elizabeth I. Ward.

Other unit terms that you may want to preview include: artifact, coalition, human genome, plunder, radiocarbon dating (of artifacts), saga, and technological edge.

DEEP BACKGROUND!
L'Anse aux Meadows is a small village in Newfoundland. Is it located at the place that Leif Eriksson visited and named "Vinland"? There's no direct evidence of Eriksson's having resided at this site, though most experts agree he must have known about it. With a close-up map of eastern Canada, you can help students see why they draw that conclusion. Located near the entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle, the site in question would have been an ideal base for seafarers intent on further exploration in any one of several directions: southwest, across the Gulf of St. Lawrence; south, along the continent's Atlantic coast; or northeast, for a return voyage to their Greenland base. Eriksson would have recognized the strategic value of this location.

EXPLORING THE ISSUES
The astonishing range of Viking activities over 1,000 years ago becomes evident when one considers a map of their sea voyages. (See, for example, the "Viking Explorers" Map Page in this unit.) Encourage students researching this topic to locate and study such maps.... The "local" topic of this unit — the Vikings' visit to North America — is the kind of "history-mystery" that archaeology frequently helps modern-day scientists to solve. The opening paragraphs in Column One of the Student Text Page indicate several types of evidence (earth ridges, artifacts, remains of buildings, etc.) that provided clues to the Viking Site near L'Anse aux Meadows. You may want to spend some time reviewing these with your class.

To help students explore some of the key issues raised by this unit, try these tips:

1.   Analyzing the spirit of exploration.  On the floor of the oceans,  in outer space, within the laboratory.... In these and many other places, modern-day "explorers" strive to expand the pool of human knowledge. Ask students to reflect on what it is that drives people to a lifetime of exploration. What are the rewards for such efforts? What do today's explorers have in common with those who crossed unknown oceans, centuries ago? In what respects do they differ?

2.   Evaluating stereotypes. The Student Text Page in this unit refers to the stereotyping that Vikings underwent over a millennium ago. Review how this phenomenon occurred. Then ask students to debate: Who lost the most, as a result of this stereotyping? (Indeed, all sides "lost.") Are there any similar examples of stereotyping today, across national and/or cultural boundaries? What's the most effective way to check or counteract such stereotyping?

3.   Foreseeing consequences. The student article suggests that Vikings were not prepared for all the potential challenges that followed in the wake of their explorations. Ask students to write an editorial on the question of whether businesses and governments today have any obligation to foresee and forestall adverse consequences of their policymaking.

MORE SOURCES
A number of useful sources on Viking history were created at the beginning of this millennium. Among them, LE especially recommends the following:

"Ancient History: Vikings." Interesting material from the BBC.

Fitzhugh, William W. and Ward, Elizabeth I., eds. Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. 2000. This definitive work, richly punctuated with maps, photos, and translations of the Sagas, would make a superb addition to a high school library.

Lemonick, Michael, and Dorfman, Andrea. "The Amazing Vikings." Time. May 8, 2000.

Vinland: Archaeology. Smithsonian Institution.

"The Year 1000: What Life Was Like in the Last Millennium" (cover story). U.S.News & World Report. August 16-23, 1999.

Viking Explorers Student Text Page | Viking Explorers Map Page

Would you like to see other pages in this study unit? Or visit LE's Home Page?