Dear Editor,
So, on the subject of the recent release of a report on the Norse dig at Point Rosee: no evidence of human activity.
LIDAR showed variation consistent with sod buildings. Plants growing over old sod walls are healthier. I saw with my own eyes dark green vegetation outlining perfect rectangular structures. When they say “no artifacts found” they mean no manmade objects.
We are also getting this report through the provincial Archaeologist’s Department, and they have made it clear that they do not believe the Norse were anywhere in N.L. other than L’Anse Aux Meadows.
Birgitta Wallace, an archaeologist who worked on that discovery, also believes this. She believes that the colony was at Miramichi. She has no evidence either way. I would not rule out Point Rosee yet.
Point Rosee was never going to be a colony, just a work site, the door is still open for my site on Little River. This has not been ruled out, and one Norse specialist, Douglas Bolender, believes it is a likely spot.
So, while the lack of results at Point Rosee is discouraging, it is not the end of this story. I would suggest caution. The carbon date at Point Rosee of 1280 AD may have been a false positive, though Sarah Parcek does not agree.
False negatives are possible, too.
Wayne MacIsaac
St. Andrews
