Pre-Columbus Exploration of the New World - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Pre-Columbus Exploration of the New WorldSlide2

St. Brendan

5

th

Century Irishman who was ordained a priest

Ireland was mostly pagan

Set sail to evangelize unknown

terrritories

Sailed in a coracle: a leather boatSlide3
Slide4

The Voyage

Discovered “Paradise of Birds” in Northern Scotland

Discovered “Island of Sheep”

Discovered an island where “ice went up to the sky” and where “natives pelted them with flaming rocks”

Iceland?

Saw many “sea monsters” on his voyageSlide5
Slide6

The Destination

Where he arrived is unknown

Newfoundland?

After exploring the island, he returned home to Ireland

7 year trip in allSlide7
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History or Legend?

Many elements of the account seem legendary

Sea Monsters are one example

Real world explanations for much of what he claims to have seen

It seemed like a legend that a coracle would be able to make that journey

Recreated in the 1970sSlide9

Eric the Red

A Viking

Sagas (epic stories) were told in the longhouses where they all lived

He would have heard tales of explorations to Greenland

Tales were told to him from

Bjarni’s

own explorations

Bjarni

had been sailing to Greenland when blown off course, discovering new landsSlide10

Thrown out to Explore

Eric lived in Iceland, as his father had killed a man and been banished from his homeland

In Iceland, Eric lent two carved poles to a friend

His friend didn’t return them, so he went to his house and took them back

His friend was mad, and sent his two sons to beat him up

Eric killed the two sons, and was banished for 3 years upon pain of deathSlide11

On to Greenland

Eric went to Greenland

Colder and more barren than Iceland

Called it “Greenland” in order to make it attractive to potential settlers

Greenland became a Viking colony

Never explored the distant lands

Bjarni

had spoken aboutSlide12

Leif Ericsson

Son of Eric

Also had heard

Bjarni’s

stories

Traveled to Norway to serve King Olaf

1000AD

Olaf was first Christian Viking King

Leif converted

Got permission to go to Greenland with a priest to evangelize there

Converted his mom, but not his dadSlide13

On to Exploration

Leif decided to go and find the lands

Bjarni

had talked about

“Flat-Stone Land”

“Forest Land”

Vinland

Located at the top of Newfoundland?Slide14

Thorfinn

Karlsefni

1

st

Viking to try and settle Vinland

Ran into the

Skraelings

Already inhabited Vinland

Things peaceful at first

Thorfinn

tried trading with

Skraelings

Thorfinn

had a child,

Snorri

, the 1

st

European to be born in the New WorldSlide15

Things go South in Vinland

Eventually, war broke out between the Vikings and the

Skraelings

Vikings were good fighters, but were outnumbered

3 years of war

Vikings left

Tried 3 other times to settle Vinland

Failed all three timesSlide16

Madoc

The Welsh King

Owain

Gwynedd

died in 1170

Fighting for the throne broke out amongst his sons

Madoc

was one of his sons

Decided he was done with Wales, sailed West to find a new home

Landed in the Gulf of Mexico

Sailed around the rivers of the South

Returned to Wales, gathered people, and sailed back to set up an establishment in the SouthSlide17

Welsh Americans: Fact or Fiction?

Unexplained forts along rivers in the South

Cherokee Indians were asked about it in the 19

th

Century

Said they had been built by “white people”

Claimed the Cherokee had fought with the Welsh

Welsh had been forced West, and eventually assimilated with the Native Americans