The stunning revelation of the mapand the publication of a volume prepared with peculiar secrecy by scholars from topname institutionsreceived intense international press coverage, but was. The vinland map was a historic find that turned out to be a fraud. The vinland map, widely considered a modern forgery, purports to be a. When it was first unveiled by yale university in 1965, the vinland map immediately became one of the most valuable and controversial documents in the world. Robert gaskins invented powerpoint, managed its design and development as a startup for three years, and then headed the new microsoft powerpoint business unit for another five years. Kusko, of the crocker historical and archaeological projects at the university of california, davis. The map, if genuine, would have shown that norsemen were the first europeans to reach the new world, landing in north america centuries before christopher columbus. The manuscript map and text were copied about 1440 by an unknown scribe from lost earlier originals. This parchment map was dated by yale to about 1440 an incendiary claim as the map depicts at its far western edge vinland, the mysterious land discovered by explorer leif ericsson in about, what we now know to be. The first is a world map, including the western ocean, with representations of iceland, greenland, and vinland. The socalled vinland map shook the world of historians focused on navigation and the age of discovery in the same way the shroud of turin rocked the world of theologians.
The history of civilization a thousand years of the tartars e. Find a list of books and links to other useful web sites related to the vinland map, viking culture, medieval manuscripts, and more. When yale university announced the maps existence in a 1965 book, it created a sensation. Yale sparked a sensation in 1965 when it announced the vinland maps existence and published a scholarly book about it by yale librarians and curators at the british museum. A lucky viking who found vinland then fought over the. If you are interested in the viking voyages to america this book is a must in your collection and the reference section will. Vinland old norse vinland, wine land is the name given to the lands explored and briefly settled by norse vikings in north america around ce, particularly referring to newfoundland, where a viking site known as lanse aux meadows was uncovered in the 1960s ce, and the gulf of st lawrence. The vinland map first surfaced on the antiquarian market in 1957 and the maps authenticity has been hotly debated ever sincein controversies ranging from the anomalous composition of the ink and the maps lack of provenance to a plethora of historical and cartographical riddles. In the early 1960s, something called the vinland map was uncovered. Is the vinland map, which depicts viking forays to north america. Seaver has created the definitive portrait of the vinland map controversy and has shown us a route home. Jun 15, 2018 their exhibit, science, myth, and mystery. History the vinland map first came to light in 1957 three years before the discovery of the norse site at lanse aux meadows in 1960, bound in a slim volume with a short medieval text called the hystoria tartarorum usually called in english the tartar relation, and was unsuccessfully offered to the british museum by london book dealer irving davis on behalf of a spanishitalian. Little is known about the protoinuit tribes living in newfoundland at the time of eriksons arrival to vinland.
The vinland map saga explores the storied history of this map and the debate around which europeans discovered the americas first, the vikings or christopher columbus in reality, the americas was first found and inhabited by humans some 24,000 years ago when people crossed the bering sea ice. Speculum historiale, and the tartar relation, a history of the turks. Notes about inventing powerpoint is a new book by robert gaskins, published 2012 by vinland books. The vinland map and the tartar relation internet archive. Aside from exposing the uninitiated reader to this period of norse history, the material constitutes the means of evaluating the authors of. When yale university announced the map s existence in a 1965 book, it created a sensation. However, she fails to make a convincing case that the vm is a forgery, let alone that joseph. The stunning revelation of the mapand the publication of a volume prepared with peculiar secrecy by scholars from topname institutionsreceived intense international press. Nova official website investigate the vinland map pbs. The mystic seaport museum is making a bit of history this summer as it displays the vinland map, making it available to the public outside the grounds of yale university for the first time in more than 50 years. Vinland was the name given to part of north america by the icelandic norseman leif eriksson, about ad. Jun 01, 2004 the socalled vinland map shook the world of historians focused on navigation and the age of discovery in the same way the shroud of turin rocked the world of theologians. Maps, myths, and men is the first work to address the full range of this debate. The history of the vinland map is a story of mystery, controversy and intrigue, involving large sums of money.
The vinland map was a historic find that turned out to be. The vinland map saga, mystic seaport museum will gather an international roster of scholars in mystic, ct, to discuss various aspects of the vinland map story, including results of new scientific testing, the maps role in history and scholarship, medieval norse sagas, and the archaeology of the only confirmed viking. Yale putting hightech tests to its controversial vinland map. This short documentary depicts the search, discovery and authentication of the only known norse settlement in north america vinland the good. This was clear even in a sixthgrade history book i recall reading in.
Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. The idea that we are able to look at something that existed so long ago intrigues us. It was also spelled winland, as early as adam of bremens descriptio insularum aquilonis description of the northern islands, ch. The myth and mystery of the vinland map passagemaker. It first appears in 1957 in the possession of a shady italian book dealer enzo ferrajoli, subsequently put in prison for stealing rare books from ancient libraries. Program overview nova investigates the history and authenticity of the vinland map, a document believed by some to be the first to depict america, and to date to 1440, half a century before columbus famous voyage.
Oct 19, 2012 the vinland map was unearthed in autumn 1957 by laurence claiborne witten ii, a new haven rare book and map dealer, as he rummaged through a fellow dealers stock in geneva. Its a tale of shady antiquarian book dealers operating in the postwar black market, of scholars and scientists working as historical sleuths, of interpretations of history, and, finally, of wormholes. Its a medievalstyle map of the world, which depicts north america as an island named vinland. But the series of norse voyages to helluland, markland, and vinland had taken place over four centuries before the extant copy of the map was drawn. The author uses archaeological, literary and historical evidence to analyze the vikings overseas expeditions and their transformation from raiders to settlers. Browse and buy a vast selection of cartography books and collectibles on. In the 1950s, a map known as the vinland map was discovered in a medieval book that came into the hands of a private collector, and scholars decided it was from 1440 and was the first known. Vinland means wineland in old norse, and there arent any grapes growing today or at any time in newfoundland. The ingstads, using the reports of the swedish philologist sven soderberg, believed that the word vinland didnt actually mean wineland but instead meant pastureland. Despite the numerous technical analyses that have been carried out on the vinland map, almost the only fact everyone agrees on is the physical age of its paper.
Feb 23, 2011 this short documentary depicts the search, discovery and authentication of the only known norse settlement in north america vinland the good. The vinland map was a historic find that turned out to be a. Focusing closely on what the map in fact shows, the book contains a critique of the 1965 work the vinland map and the tartar relation. General books teachers and advanced students batey, coleen, et al. The controversial vinland map vm is a medievalstyle map of the old. As such, it is a unique milestone in the history of human migration and discovery. The problem with identifying vinland as newfoundland is the name. However, along with the excitement of new discoveries, there is often much controversy. Witten ii vmtr95, but original pagination retained in body. Its exact location is not known, but it was probably the area surrounding the gulf of saint lawrence in what is now eastern canada. Aug 05, 2016 as such, it is a unique milestone in the history of human migration and discovery. The vinland map saga, mystic seaport museum will gather an international roster of scholars in mystic, ct, to discuss various aspects of the vinland map story, including results of new scientific testing, the maps role in history and scholarship, medieval norse sagas, and the archaeology of the only confirmed. The vinland map first came to light in 1957 three years before the discovery of the norse site at lanse aux meadows in 1960, bound in a slim volume with a short medieval text called the hystoria tartarorum usually called in english the tartar relation, and was unsuccessfully offered to the british museum by london book dealer irving davis on behalf of a spanishitalian dealer named enzo.
May 10, 1987 among the map s detractors were italianamerican partisans of columbus who charged that publication of the vinland map by yale university press on columbus day, 1965, was a gratuitous attempt to. After almost fifty years, articles continue to be published and the map appears regularly in the media. Its a tale of shady antiquarian book dealers operating in the postwar black market, of scholars and scientists working as historical sleuths, of interpretations of history. Vinland, the land of wild grapes in north america that was visited and named by leif eriksson about the year ce. Throughout history, the discovery of an ancient artifact has always brought with it much excitement. Vinland is what the medieval norse sagas called the decadelong viking settlement in north america, the first european attempt at establishing a trading base in north america. Search the history of over 411 billion web pages on the internet. Vinland map and the tartar relation yale university press. There is also an account by the rarebook dealer laurence c. Vinland map project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. In conjunction with its current exhibition, science, myth, and mystery. Completely updated to include important primary research, archaeological findings and debates from the last decade, this third edition of f. It seemed to be a map of the north atlantic as drawn from scandinavian discoveries between 800 and 1100 ce, well before western europes great age of exploration that began in 1400.
Among the maps detractors were italianamerican partisans of columbus who charged that publication of the vinland map by yale university press on columbus day, 1965, was a gratuitous attempt to. Parker dorset press 1987 the vinland map and the tartar relation marston, painter yale university press 1965. It became famous because it proved that vikings came to america before columbus. Science magazineit is an enjoyable book to read, and the author writes in such an enthusiastic way that the book reads almost like a detective story. Seaver, an independent historian and fellow of the royal geographical society in london, has traveled the globe in her quest to ascertain the authenticity of the vinland map in yale universitys. The vinland map is a drawing of iceland, greenland and the northeastern seaboard of north america that has been dated to the mid15th century, suggesting that norse explorers charted north america. The vinland map and the tartar relation yale university press, 1965 vmtr. The recognition of the archaeological reality of viking landings in canada is largely responsible due to the efforts of two fanatical archaeologists. The fact that no other precolumbian norse maps of vinland exists together with ink studies, oddities in the text on the map and script analyzes suggests that the vinland map is a 20th century fake made by a german priest. Scholars proved this text to be an authentic work dating to 1440.
Experts claimed that the map had been drawn around 1440. Aside from exposing the uninitiated reader to this period of norse history, the material constitutes the means of evaluating the authors of the vinland map and the tartar relation. One great thing about this book is that you learn about more than just this map and why it is considered a forgery. They tell the stories of the viking journeys to america, which allegedly took place sometime between c. Sep 10, 2018 in the th century ce, two icelandic sagas, the saga of the greenlanders gr.
Donald logans successful book examines the vikings and their critical role in history. Map may be from vikings after all the new york times. The vinland map was unearthed in autumn 1957 by laurence claiborne witten ii, a new haven rare book and map dealer, as he rummaged through a fellow dealers stock in geneva. The story of the vinland map, contains a wealth of information about the norse and cartography as they relate to the vinland map, and should be carefully studied by any serious follower of the debate.
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