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L’Anse aux Meadows - Activity

L'Anse aux Meadows: Exploring Archaeology

STRUCTURES A-B-C : General Information

L'Anse aux Meadows: Structures A-B-C Download a PDF of the map

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Location: East bank of Black Duck Brook

Structures: A long structure (A) with four rooms and two smaller one-room buildings (B and C)

Materials: Each building was built of sod over a timber frame 

Observations:

  • Charred remains of posts were found on site.
  • Two rooms in Hall A contain the remains of central longfires (centrally located fireplaces containing a stone hearth, a cooking pit, and an ember pit used to keep embers burning overnight).
  • Buildings B and C each contain a simple fireplace.
  • Areas of debris (middens) outside the doorways were found to contain ashes, charcoal, food bones, and a few discarded and broken items. Middens were limited in size and not very deep.

Artifacts:

  • Ringed pin found in Hall A – A cross-section reveals that the upper part of the shank is circular while the lower part is square (common to other archaeological sites dating to the 10th century; e.g. Iceland).

    Ringed pin found in Hall A
  • Ringed pin. Parks Canada [4A-1413RAT]

  • Hall A – Fragments of smithing slag found near a large shallow pit (Slag is the vitreous mass left as a residue by the smelting and smithing of metallic ore.) Similar material was found in House B.

    Hall A
  • SOURCE: Wallace, Birgitta 1990 “L’Anse aux Meadows: Gateway to Vinland,” Acta Archaeologica vol. 61, p. 173 (fig. 6).

  • Ten lumps of smelting slag and some smithing slag were found in Building C.

    Ten lumps of smelting slag
  • Slag. Parks Canada [4A 1519-T]