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Recent Finds

Helluland Archaeology Project Background Recent Finds Spun Cordage Sculptural Art Other Artifacts Further Questions Suggested Reading

Spun cordage and other artifacts similar to those found in mediaeval European sites were recently recognized during a re-examination of an archaeological collection excavated from a Dorset settlement on Baffin Island. Since this initial discovery, very similar material has been identified from two other sites on Baffin Island and one in northern Labrador. These sites span a coastal distance of over 1,500 kilometres, suggesting a broad pattern of contact between the Dorset occupants of this region and European visitors. Scattered finds from other Dorset sites in the Eastern Arctic indicate that the effects of contact extended beyond the Helluland region.


Excavation at Nunguvik -Photo: Lee Narraway
Excavation at Nunguvik, northern Baffin Island
Photo: Lee Narraway
Archaeological Sites Containing Spun Cordage
A Locations of archaeological sites containing spun cordage and associated material
B Norse Colonies
C L'Anse aux Meadows

1 Greenland
2 Ellesmere Island
3 Devon Island
4 Baffin Island
5 Labrador
6 Québec
7 Newfoundland

Spun Cordage -Photo: Harry Foster
Three-metre length
of spun cordage, 2-ply

Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) fur
Baffin Island, Arctic Canada
PgHb-1:14765
Photo: Harry Foster
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