Vikings in America

**Vikings in America** is the 2nd episode in Season 4 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

Josh traces the Vikings' westward expansion from the volcanic landscape of Iceland to a mysterious settlement in Greenland; he aims to find out if the Vikings landed in the United States more than 500 years before any other Europeans.

## Summary

In Iceland, Josh, Kevin and Gudmunder go to Surtshellir, a large cave, which they explore and find many fragments of animal bones which were supposedly offerings to Surtr. Josh then heads to Narsarsuaq, Greenland and goes by boat, encountering an iceberg along the way, to an excavation site near Søndre Igaliko where they meet Christian Koch Madsen. They explore what was once a Norse farm looking for why the Vikings left. They meet Steve Scruggs, a geophysicist, and use technology to find artefacts including a Norse nail, rivet, strike stones, and evidence of a structure underground. The Vikings supposedly left because of the falling trade value of ivory.

Josh goes to the statue of Leif Erikson in Greenland which marks where he supposedly set off for Vinland or what may be L'Anse Aux Meadows, Canada. Josh visits Boston, Massachusetts, where there are many towers and statues, with plaques saying the Vikings discovered the area. There was also a supposed Viking skeleton found in the 19th century in the town of Fall River but was lost in a fire and Josh debunks the theory of the Newport Tower (actually an old windmill) in Rhode Island of being a Viking structure. There is no hard evidence that the Vikings ever discovered the United States.

Josh visits Martha's Vineyard and meets Jim and Bill Vieira and they go out to find a Viking rock that was photographed in the '20s on Noman's Land, an island. The rock is engraved with Leif Erikson's names and is either a hoax or the real deal. It was submerged next to the large Whale Rock and they are able to find it but it proves inconclusive.

## Final Words

"My four-country exploration of the Vikings has brought me, of all places, back to my childhood home. I stand on the opposite side of the same ocean the Vikings looked over 1,000 years ago, and I try to imagine them. Would I be able to leave the safety of my home and sail into the frigid unknown? My journey has revealed to me that the Vikings weren't the one-dimensional raiders and pirates of popular culture. They were organised builders, they were artists, master engineers, sailors, and, yes, fierce warriors. As to the true location of Vinland, we'll see what evidence emerges but I believe it's probably somewhere in Canada. But the fact that New Englanders have so fiercely embraced the Vikings only underscores the power they still hold over our culture. They were a force of nature, and their adventures are still being discovered. I can't wait to see where they take us next."

~ Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* Steve Scruggs was also featured in The Secret

## Quotes

* "Okay, parking in lava."
* "Now that I'm here the population has skyrocketed to 131."
* "Relieved that I won't be the subject of the next James Cameron movie."
* "This is a town built on revolution, where patriotism runs deep, and where everyone runs on Dunkin'."

## References

1. ↑ https://api.discovery.com/v1/images/5ba089bc6b66d17207732ac6?aspectRatio=16x9&width=1200&key=3020a40c2356a645b4b4