Medieval Greenland Norse By: Gabby Orsino, Ben Meshumar, and Sam Havlicek

Society Erik the Red was exiled from the Scandinavian empire. He spent years sailing the waters and eventually wound up on a piece of land that he called Greenland in order to attract settlers. 2 settlements were established, East and West. Began as an independent society but later re-established under the king. Prosperation depended on trade. Very harsh conditions.

What happened to the population… Lief Eriksson brought a big wave of settlers to the young land. Among these new inhabitants came the religious types… Church was established. Huge population boom. Geography, Climate and Resources were a recipe for destruction. Possible clash between Greenlandians and the native Inuit people.

Aspect of life Environment Religion Attitude

Greenland And the U.S. Similarities Food Trade

Greenland And the U.S. Difrences Population Size Food resource Climate Change

SOCIETY BEFORE AND AFTER GROWTH

RESOURCES BEFORE: -cows, sheep, goats, birds, fish, seals (animal life) -farm land -fresh waters AFTER: -thinner soils, shorter growing seasons -livestock could no longer be maintained -climate change caused resources to deminish

ECONOMY BEFORE: -relied on trading goods -cod fishing, falconry, sea mammal oil, soapstone and walrus ivory had become intense commercial efforts, driven by the need to pay taxes to kings and tithes to the church -Greenland's Norse in particular traded heavily on its walrus ivory resources AFTER: -climate change caused resources to dwindle, had less to trade -demand for Greenland’s primary export, walrus tusks, went down -less economically stable

SOCIAL BEFORE: -The Norse had a population of 4-5000 -Ruins of more than 300 farms, twenty-two churches, a nunnery, and many cemeteries -Traded with Iceland and Scandinavia AFTER: -Communication between trading ships went down -Loss of support from “home” or trade partners (Iceland and Scandinavia

The End

Bibliography Mnh.si.edu/vikings/voyage/htmlonly/greenland.html Greenland-guide.gl/leif2000/history.htm Archaelogy.org/online/featured/greenland