The Western Settlement ( Old Norse : Vestribygð [ˈwestreˌbyɣð] ) was a group of farms and communities established by Norsemen from Iceland around 985 in medieval Greenland . Despite its name, the Western Settlement was more north than west of its companion Eastern Settlement and was located at the bottom of the deep Nuup Kangerlua fjord (inland from Nuuk , the modern-day Greenlandic capital).
6-592: Much less is known about the Western Settlement than the Eastern Settlement, as there is very little mention and no direct description of it in any of the medieval sources on Greenland. At its peak, the Western Settlement probably had about 1,000 inhabitants, about a quarter of the size of the Eastern Settlement, owing to its shorter growing season. The largest of the Western Settlement farms was Sandnæs . Ruins of almost 95 farms have been found in
12-479: A significant decrease in maximum summer temperatures beginning in the late 13th century to early 14th century—as much as 6-8 °C lower than modern summer temperatures. The study also found that the lowest winter temperatures of the last 2000 years occurred in the late 14th century and early 15th century. 64°26′N 50°26′W / 64.433°N 50.433°W / 64.433; -50.433 Sandn%C3%A6s Sandnæs , often anglicized as Sandnes ,
18-407: The area. The Western Settlement was last mentioned by Ivar Bardarson ( Ivar Bårdsson ), a Norwegian cleric who was sent to Greenland in 1341 to serve as superintendent of the bishop's seat at Gardar in the Eastern Settlement. After the death of Bishop Árni in 1347 or 1348, Greenland was without a bishop until Bishop Álfur was ordained in 1365 and arrived in 1368. Ivar Bardsson served as principal of
24-597: The diocese during the interim period. In his voyage to the Western Settlement, he found only vacant farms. He subsequently wrote to the Bishop of Bergen to describe conditions he observed. By 1360 he had returned to Bergen to serve as a Canon of Bergen Cathedral . The demise of the Western Settlement coincides with a decrease in summer and winter temperatures commonly known as the Little Ice Age . A study of North Atlantic seasonal temperature variability showed
30-642: Was the largest Norse farmstead in the Western Settlement of medieval Greenland . Similarly with the Norwegian city of Sandnes , its name meant "Sandy Headland" in Old Norse . It was settled around AD 1000 and abandoned by the late 14th century. It was located at the site known as Kilaarsarfik today, at the head of the Ameralla Fjord south of modern Nuuk 's peninsula. The farm
36-601: Was well-placed and possessed a large pasturage enabling its proprietors to successfully raise cattle, compared with goats and sheep at the other Western Settlement farms. It also included the area's church. However, the conditions throughout the site's existence were apparently filthy. The site has been excavated, proving among other things that the Vikings continued to trade with the American mainland after Leif Ericson 's failed colonization attempt . An arrowhead likely from
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