Criminal
04-12-2003, 01:31 AM
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/pix/LAM_turf_house.jpg
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/text/other_artifacts.htm
There are a small group of Norse artifacts found in North America that are widely regarded as genuine. These include the artifacts found at L'Anse aux Meadows (left) and the 11th century Norwegian coin found in Maine in 1957 (right).
In addition, there are a large number of artifacts not widely accepted as genuine. These range from the carefully studied extant artifacts (such as the Kensington rune stone) to the legendary (such as the Cape Cod ossuary) of which nothing tangible remains.
Since many of the artifacts were found in Hurstwic's home territory of New England, we present here a summary of some of the more interesting ones, and some of the more bizarre speculation, with the disclaimer that none of these is generally recognized as genuine.
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/pix/newport_tower.jpg
Viking Tower
Newport, Rhode Island
On a hill side that over looks Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island sits a curious structure, a stone tower. Normally such a structure would not be so curious and shrouded with mystery, but the discovery of a rune maker stone on one of the legs of the tower has created years of debate. The tower at Touro Park was thought to have been owned by Gov. Benedict Arnold (grandfather of the famous traitor) until the discovery of the rune stone in 1946. Over the past 50 years an impassioned debate has continue to rage over the origin of the tower.
Some believe that the five runic markers read 'HNKRS' representing the old Norse word for stool, meaning the seat of a bishop's church [1]. Other sources claim not to know the true meaning of the letters. In 1948, an archaeological dig was begun and concluded in 1949. The dig turned up no evidence pointing towards Norse colonization of Rhode Island. In fact, it did just the opposite. Over 20 items of colonial American origin were found, including clay pipe fragments, a gunflint, colonial pottery, and a shoe imprint [2,3] of a colonial style in the hard clay earth. The findings of this dig are all under lock and key at the Peabody Museum.
There are several possible reasons for the absence of Norse artifacts on the site of the tower. Extensive farming of the area by the colonists may have unearthed and destroyed any sizeable artifacts. In addition, new construction prior to the dig may have disturbed the area.
Another curiosity of the tower is its strange construction, which resembles that of a tower built in Warwickshire, England (right) on the farmstead of a young Benedict Arnold. However, some interior features are thought to more closely resemble a Norse religious structure. The eight legs of the tower sit exactly on the points of the compass. According to the legend of the tower, the stone structure was built to replace a wooden mill, which blew down during a storm. Some experts believe that if this were true, the new stone tower would have been built quickly due to the need to produce food, thus the pinpoint accuracy of the towers position would be impossible or sheer luck. Another puzzling item is a fire place which sits too high for cooking and is to shallow to provide any substantial heat, but is ideal for a beacon fire which could have been seen from the bay through the large window opposite the fire place. Other sources say that the fireplace is of a more religious nature providing a ceremonial fire that, according to custom, was never to go out [1]. On either side of the fireplace are recessed areas ideal for the placement of holy figures or other items.
Evidence from the site of the tower points to a colonial time frame. However, the tower appears on two maps predating the colonial era by over half a century. Giovanni da Verrazano mapped the area in approximately 1524 and listed the tower on his map and in his logs as a "Norman Villa". In addition, Mercator's map, circa 1569, also shows the exact location of the tower.
Some of the best evidence comes from 14C dating of mortar taken from the tower in 1993. AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) analysis of the samples yielded a date of about 1680.
Though there is evidence on both sides of the argument, Norse and Colonial, the hard evidence points to a colonial origin for the tower.
Norumbega, a Norse Colony in New England?
Is there evidence linking Rhode Island to Vinland or another Norse colony? Paul H Chapman, author of the article "Norumbega: A Norse Colony In Rhode Island" [1], believes that the Norse settled in Rhode Island and that after voyages to Vinland ended, they became the Narragansett Indians, emulating the styles and ways of other native Americans. However, the evidence is more speculation and hearsay than hard fact.
Chapman's cultural evidence includes the stature and skin color of the Narragansett Indians. Verrazano, who explored the area in 1524, describes the natives as "excelling us in size" and "…are of bronze color, some inclined more to whiteness…the face sharply cut". Notably, the Norse of the time (and today) are described as having sharply cut faces. To some, this could be seen as grasping at straws, but Roger Williams, founder of the Rhode Island colony, lived among the Narragansetts and reported roughly the same. Williams also recorded that the natives children were often born with white skin and red hair. He went on the say that their skin darkened from a life out doors and that their hair was dyed a darker color as they got older.
Chapman's other evidence is the advanced agricultural activaties of the Narragansetts. The other area tribes practiced nomadic hunting, while the Narragansetts lived and farmed in permanent communities, using hunting as a supplement for gathered food. The farming practices of the Narragansetts cannot be contributed to colonial era guidance since the colonists learned their farming practices from the natives.
Chapman has interpreted the name Narragansett to mean Northman settlers. He breaks the name down in this way; Nar short for NORman, stating that the Old Norse often used A for O during the development of the language, gan being the Old Norse for gang meaning walk, and sett to settle.
Existing historic and cartographic records also provide evidence of Norse settlement in this area. Two early cartographers of North America, Verrazano (1524) and Mercator (1569), place the Viking Tower of Newport, RI on their maps. While Verrazano called this location a "Norman Villa", Meractor showed the name "Norombega" as the name of this location. Mercator and other cartographers used this name for both the region and location of a local community on Narragansett Bay. The name Norombega has been broken down this way, according to Chapman: Nor meaning for Norman; um for all over; and beg for Bygd meaning an inhabited land in Old Norse. The a, at the end of the word would also be a typical suffix for Old Norse words. Other place names hailing the Nor- prefix can be found in the surrounding area. While some come from England, others are old Indian names for these areas.
Chapman's third source of evidence is the over one hundred rune stones found in New England. Three of these were found in Narragansett Bay. To this date only one has been proven a forgery. Chapman claims that the general position of the "Establishment" is that the only Norse settlement in North America was L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. Therefore the stones found elsewhere must be fake, thus the historical community has concluded: no artifacts, no evidence, no presence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
[1] Chapman, "Norumbega: A Norse Colony In Rhode Island", The Ancient American 1994.
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/text/other_artifacts.htm
There are a small group of Norse artifacts found in North America that are widely regarded as genuine. These include the artifacts found at L'Anse aux Meadows (left) and the 11th century Norwegian coin found in Maine in 1957 (right).
In addition, there are a large number of artifacts not widely accepted as genuine. These range from the carefully studied extant artifacts (such as the Kensington rune stone) to the legendary (such as the Cape Cod ossuary) of which nothing tangible remains.
Since many of the artifacts were found in Hurstwic's home territory of New England, we present here a summary of some of the more interesting ones, and some of the more bizarre speculation, with the disclaimer that none of these is generally recognized as genuine.
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/pix/newport_tower.jpg
Viking Tower
Newport, Rhode Island
On a hill side that over looks Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island sits a curious structure, a stone tower. Normally such a structure would not be so curious and shrouded with mystery, but the discovery of a rune maker stone on one of the legs of the tower has created years of debate. The tower at Touro Park was thought to have been owned by Gov. Benedict Arnold (grandfather of the famous traitor) until the discovery of the rune stone in 1946. Over the past 50 years an impassioned debate has continue to rage over the origin of the tower.
Some believe that the five runic markers read 'HNKRS' representing the old Norse word for stool, meaning the seat of a bishop's church [1]. Other sources claim not to know the true meaning of the letters. In 1948, an archaeological dig was begun and concluded in 1949. The dig turned up no evidence pointing towards Norse colonization of Rhode Island. In fact, it did just the opposite. Over 20 items of colonial American origin were found, including clay pipe fragments, a gunflint, colonial pottery, and a shoe imprint [2,3] of a colonial style in the hard clay earth. The findings of this dig are all under lock and key at the Peabody Museum.
There are several possible reasons for the absence of Norse artifacts on the site of the tower. Extensive farming of the area by the colonists may have unearthed and destroyed any sizeable artifacts. In addition, new construction prior to the dig may have disturbed the area.
Another curiosity of the tower is its strange construction, which resembles that of a tower built in Warwickshire, England (right) on the farmstead of a young Benedict Arnold. However, some interior features are thought to more closely resemble a Norse religious structure. The eight legs of the tower sit exactly on the points of the compass. According to the legend of the tower, the stone structure was built to replace a wooden mill, which blew down during a storm. Some experts believe that if this were true, the new stone tower would have been built quickly due to the need to produce food, thus the pinpoint accuracy of the towers position would be impossible or sheer luck. Another puzzling item is a fire place which sits too high for cooking and is to shallow to provide any substantial heat, but is ideal for a beacon fire which could have been seen from the bay through the large window opposite the fire place. Other sources say that the fireplace is of a more religious nature providing a ceremonial fire that, according to custom, was never to go out [1]. On either side of the fireplace are recessed areas ideal for the placement of holy figures or other items.
Evidence from the site of the tower points to a colonial time frame. However, the tower appears on two maps predating the colonial era by over half a century. Giovanni da Verrazano mapped the area in approximately 1524 and listed the tower on his map and in his logs as a "Norman Villa". In addition, Mercator's map, circa 1569, also shows the exact location of the tower.
Some of the best evidence comes from 14C dating of mortar taken from the tower in 1993. AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) analysis of the samples yielded a date of about 1680.
Though there is evidence on both sides of the argument, Norse and Colonial, the hard evidence points to a colonial origin for the tower.
Norumbega, a Norse Colony in New England?
Is there evidence linking Rhode Island to Vinland or another Norse colony? Paul H Chapman, author of the article "Norumbega: A Norse Colony In Rhode Island" [1], believes that the Norse settled in Rhode Island and that after voyages to Vinland ended, they became the Narragansett Indians, emulating the styles and ways of other native Americans. However, the evidence is more speculation and hearsay than hard fact.
Chapman's cultural evidence includes the stature and skin color of the Narragansett Indians. Verrazano, who explored the area in 1524, describes the natives as "excelling us in size" and "…are of bronze color, some inclined more to whiteness…the face sharply cut". Notably, the Norse of the time (and today) are described as having sharply cut faces. To some, this could be seen as grasping at straws, but Roger Williams, founder of the Rhode Island colony, lived among the Narragansetts and reported roughly the same. Williams also recorded that the natives children were often born with white skin and red hair. He went on the say that their skin darkened from a life out doors and that their hair was dyed a darker color as they got older.
Chapman's other evidence is the advanced agricultural activaties of the Narragansetts. The other area tribes practiced nomadic hunting, while the Narragansetts lived and farmed in permanent communities, using hunting as a supplement for gathered food. The farming practices of the Narragansetts cannot be contributed to colonial era guidance since the colonists learned their farming practices from the natives.
Chapman has interpreted the name Narragansett to mean Northman settlers. He breaks the name down in this way; Nar short for NORman, stating that the Old Norse often used A for O during the development of the language, gan being the Old Norse for gang meaning walk, and sett to settle.
Existing historic and cartographic records also provide evidence of Norse settlement in this area. Two early cartographers of North America, Verrazano (1524) and Mercator (1569), place the Viking Tower of Newport, RI on their maps. While Verrazano called this location a "Norman Villa", Meractor showed the name "Norombega" as the name of this location. Mercator and other cartographers used this name for both the region and location of a local community on Narragansett Bay. The name Norombega has been broken down this way, according to Chapman: Nor meaning for Norman; um for all over; and beg for Bygd meaning an inhabited land in Old Norse. The a, at the end of the word would also be a typical suffix for Old Norse words. Other place names hailing the Nor- prefix can be found in the surrounding area. While some come from England, others are old Indian names for these areas.
Chapman's third source of evidence is the over one hundred rune stones found in New England. Three of these were found in Narragansett Bay. To this date only one has been proven a forgery. Chapman claims that the general position of the "Establishment" is that the only Norse settlement in North America was L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. Therefore the stones found elsewhere must be fake, thus the historical community has concluded: no artifacts, no evidence, no presence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
[1] Chapman, "Norumbega: A Norse Colony In Rhode Island", The Ancient American 1994.