Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Greenland Norse walrus exploitation deep into the Arctic

Emily Ruiz Puerta, Emily ; Jarrett, Greer LU orcid ; McCarthy, Morgan L. ; En Pan, Shyong ; Keighley, Xenia ; Aiken, Magie ; Zampirolo, Giulia ; Loonen, Maarten J. J. E. ; Gotfredsen, Anne Birgitte and Howse, Lesley R. , et al. (2024) In Science Advances 10(39).
Abstract
Walrus ivory was a prized commodity in medieval Europe and was supplied by Norse intermediaries who expanded across the North Atlantic, establishing settlements in Iceland and Greenland. However, the precise sources of the traded ivory have long remained unclear, raising important questions about the sustainability of commercial walrus harvesting, the extent to which Greenland Norse were able to continue mounting their own long-range hunting expeditions, and the degree to which they relied on trading ivory with the various Arctic Indigenous peoples that they were starting to encounter. We use high-resolution genomic sourcing methods to track walrus artifacts back to specific hunting grounds, demonstrating that Greenland Norse obtained... (More)
Walrus ivory was a prized commodity in medieval Europe and was supplied by Norse intermediaries who expanded across the North Atlantic, establishing settlements in Iceland and Greenland. However, the precise sources of the traded ivory have long remained unclear, raising important questions about the sustainability of commercial walrus harvesting, the extent to which Greenland Norse were able to continue mounting their own long-range hunting expeditions, and the degree to which they relied on trading ivory with the various Arctic Indigenous peoples that they were starting to encounter. We use high-resolution genomic sourcing methods to track walrus artifacts back to specific hunting grounds, demonstrating that Greenland Norse obtained ivory from High Arctic waters, especially the North Water Polynya, and possibly from the interior Canadian Arctic. These results substantially expand the assumed range of Greenland Norse ivory harvesting activities and support intriguing archaeological evidence for substantive interactions with Thule Inuit, plus possible encounters with Tuniit (Late Dorset Pre-Inuit). (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Science Advances
volume
10
issue
39
pages
12 pages
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
ISSN
2375-2548
DOI
10.1126/sciadv.adq4127
project
Lund Environmental Humanities Hub
Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
58ca53f0-79dd-454b-917d-6484a8314a3c
date added to LUP
2024-09-27 20:59:21
date last changed
2024-10-04 13:00:31
@article{58ca53f0-79dd-454b-917d-6484a8314a3c,
  abstract     = {{Walrus ivory was a prized commodity in medieval Europe and was supplied by Norse intermediaries who expanded across the North Atlantic, establishing settlements in Iceland and Greenland. However, the precise sources of the traded ivory have long remained unclear, raising important questions about the sustainability of commercial walrus harvesting, the extent to which Greenland Norse were able to continue mounting their own long-range hunting expeditions, and the degree to which they relied on trading ivory with the various Arctic Indigenous peoples that they were starting to encounter. We use high-resolution genomic sourcing methods to track walrus artifacts back to specific hunting grounds, demonstrating that Greenland Norse obtained ivory from High Arctic waters, especially the North Water Polynya, and possibly from the interior Canadian Arctic. These results substantially expand the assumed range of Greenland Norse ivory harvesting activities and support intriguing archaeological evidence for substantive interactions with Thule Inuit, plus possible encounters with Tuniit (Late Dorset Pre-Inuit).}},
  author       = {{Emily Ruiz Puerta, Emily and Jarrett, Greer and McCarthy, Morgan L. and En Pan, Shyong and Keighley, Xenia and Aiken, Magie and Zampirolo, Giulia and Loonen, Maarten J. J. E. and Gotfredsen, Anne Birgitte and Howse, Lesley R. and Szpak, Paul and Pálsson, Snæbjörn and Rufolo, Scott and Malmquist, Hilmar J. and Desjardins, Sean and Olsen, Morten Tange and Jordan, Peter}},
  issn         = {{2375-2548}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  number       = {{39}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science Advances}},
  title        = {{Greenland Norse walrus exploitation deep into the Arctic}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adq4127}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/sciadv.adq4127}},
  volume       = {{10}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}