New evidence suggests Vikings – and their mice – beat Portugal to the Azores

Evidence from animal remains shows Norse seafarers settled on the islands centuries before Portuguese explorersThey came from the land of the ice and snow and the midnight sun – but still ended up in some balmy destinations. This is the conclusion of researchers who have discovered evidence to support the idea that the Vikings settled on the clement shores of the Azores several hundred years before the Portuguese arrived in 1427.Given thatthe Vikingsare usually associated with the frozen north, the claim is startling. Nevertheless, it is based on solid science, says a group of international researchers who recently analysed lakebed sediments in the Azores, an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic.Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 31, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie Science and environment editor Tags: Portugal Archaeology Europe Science UK news Azores holidays Culture Source Type: news