Some of our fellow Americans up in Minnesota might take issue with that.
Technically correct although most Americans who celebrate Columbus day couldn’t point to the Bahamas on a map if their life depended on it.
If we are going to split hairs, America was the name applied to what is now South America after Amerigo Vespucci followed Columbus’ steps to that part of the world.
Neither one of them ever set foot on what Americans who celebrate Columbus day now refer to as America i.e. US mainland.
Tupaia was a very interesting read focusing as it did on the interaction between European and Polynesian culture. Captain Cook was a man under severe strain as master when you look at the circumstances and situation he found himself in.
I’m now looking for a more definitive text on Polynesian navigation. Cook and Green’s observation of the transit of Venus was instrumental in calculating the Astronomical Unit, the distance between the earth and the sun and using Kepler’s third law to calculate more accurately the planets orbits. Because he knew when the transit would start and finish it also functioned as time check.
Slavery was rampant in Europe at the time and the Viking took slaves, as did others.
They had the ability to transport slaves over long distances at that time, while others did not.
Not that others had any qualms about selling slaves to anybody, or everybody, if they have had the abilities to do so.
Thanks. I’ll have a look at this WTP.
I obviously don’t watch much Norwegian TV. (except the “1900 News” on NRK1)
Actually, I don’t watch much TV at all, other than news on BBC, CNN, CNA and Al Jazeera, with the odd look at CCTV News and Fox News. (The last for some comedy, when real news gets too dreary)
It’s been about 25 years since I read this one but I remember it explained their system well. Amazing times. It is my belief that the ancient polynesians could have lived a very long time on a sailing vessel because it was long before the oceans were fished out. There also must have been at least some emphasis to get off the rock.
No my Norwegian associate, once again you misread the point I was attempting to make and in part it was my less than precise intended reference concerning the impact of Viking discoveries in the Americas. The Vikings had a great effect on history but in true form, you misunderstood that the reference I was making to, was strictly IRT the historic ramifications of the “discovery” of the “Americas” on world history. I am aware that the Vikings were actually traders first, opportunists and raiders only second, not primarily bloodthirsty ravagers and pillagers as portrayed in popular media which focus on the military arm of the Norsemen, the Vikings and their “spec ops” warriors, the “Beserkers” (if I am not mistaken). I do appreciate that you educated me on the connection they had with the Byzantine empire, I was not aware of that. I was aware that they founded Moscow, Minsk and many cities now in Russia and the Ukraine as well as establishing trading posts along the Black Sea, trading with the Ottomans, and even establishing trade with entities in the Persian Gulf. As a Norwegian, I would think you would be farmer upset with the current defamation of the image of Norsemen than any other issue.
Really? How would the Scandinavian descended population in Minnesota taking issue? Are they under the impression that a Norse kingdom was successfully established in the Great Lakes region of North America prior to the 15th century? I am aware of some very fascinating runic and other discoveries in that region, but some of the Viking texts appear to indicate that the Viking forays were eventually simply overrun by “Scraylings” or somesuch interpreted to mean the indigenous inhabitants?
Also once again, Columbus landed on the Continent called, the continental islands pertaining to and belonging to the geographical landmass called “America”!
BTW; It was mostly “Vikings” from Sweden that was present in Russia and established settlements and trading posts there.
The true Viking is said to have been people living around Vikin, thought to be the name for the area around what is today called Oslofjord:
The Vikings that raided and settled in Scotland, Ireland and on Iceland came mainly from the west coast of Norway.
Rollon (Rollo in French, Gangerolf in Norse) came from an island called Giske, near Aalesund. His family also ruled in the Orkney, Shetlands and large parts of Western and Mid-Norway.
He became the Duke of Normandy and the forefather to the Normans that conquered England.He thus became the forefather to most of the royal houses in Europe.
A statue of him is standing in Rouan, Normandy, with replicas given as a gift to Aalesund and one to Fargo, ND. These statues were made to commemorate the millennial anniversary since the establishment of the Duchy of Normandy in 911 AD. Here is the one here in Aalesund:
