Why the Vikings left Greenland forever: scientists found the answer

Vikings lived in Greenland for 400 years. Two lively communities lived next to each other. But by the 15th century, the Vikings had disappeared from the island. The reasons for their departure will still remain a mystery. Scientists believe that the sudden disappearance of the Vikings from Greenland was influenced by the rise of the sea level.

Inverse writes about it.

The first ancient sailors or Vikings appeared on the territory of Greenland in 985 AD. e. They were led by the legendary explorer Eric the Red, who killed several people because of the conflict and was expelled from Iceland. He took his faithful followers with him and set out for Greenland, where he founded a new settlement called Eystribygð or Eastern Settlement.

For the next 400 years, the settlement lived in abundance and prosperity with farms located near the shore. The Vikings also hunted walruses and sold their tusks to Europe.

The last record left by the Vikings tells of a wedding in the Eastern Settlement, after which they lived on the island for about 50 years and left.

Scientists suggest that the sudden departure of the Vikings from the settlement could have been influenced by several factors: climate change, clashes with the Intuites, and trade troubles.

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To answer this question, scientists studied how the ocean changed during the time of the Vikings. It turned out that the sea level had risen significantly, causing severe flooding in coastal areas. According to scientists, the water level rose by 3.3 meters, which made it impossible for the Vikings to live in coastal areas.

Most often, the Vikings settled 500-1000 meters from the flood zone, so they were vulnerable to weather changes. Flooding made it difficult to raise livestock and conduct agriculture. Therefore, the Vikings were forced to change their diet, which began to consist of seafood.

Over time, floods reduced the standard of living of the settlement and made Greenland unattractive to live in.

We will remind you that a 100 million-year-old dinosaur skull was found in Australia.

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