Possible North America Viking Settlement Spotted From Space

A second Viking settlement may have been found in North America, and it'll be detailed in an upcoming NOVA documentary called "Vikings Unearthed." The discovery was made from space, in that archaeologists spotted evidence of the settlement in photos taken by a satellite. The discovery was made some time last summer, and though the precise location of the settlement hasn't been revealed to the public, it is somewhere in the southern region of Newfoundland.

The upcoming documentary is teased in the trailer below, and includes some brief shots of the presumed settlement. It all started when researchers saw signs of structures built by man; from there, Sarah Parcak, an archaeologist, found one particular spot believed to be a second settlement in North America.

Point Rosee, the location of the suspected settlement, shows signs of former life that wouldn't be readily apparent to non-experts. The plants could indicate where previous (wooden and long gone) structures were built by humans, while more substantial things like hefty iron deposits further hint at human presence.

Even more exciting, the researchers have found what may be an old hearth — or what remains of it — that could have been used to refine that iron. Researchers will continue to study the area to determine whether Vikings did in fact settle there — if they did, it'll be a major discovery, the first of a Viking settlement in North America since a discovery back in the 60s.

SOURCE: Smithsonian