When it comes to collapse, there is something singular about the collapse of the Norse in Greenland. In most collapses, the collapse of the population is not total. People still generally live in that area, just substantially less and under a different political structure. This was not eh case in Greenland. Here, the collapse was total and absolute: when a trade ship arrived in , there was not a soul to be found. After approximately 500 years of survival, the both the Western and Eastern settlements were dead. There have been several theories about what could have a happened to end such a long standing civilization, including climate change, attacks from the Iunit people, failure to adapt, environmental degradation, and breakdown of trade. …show more content…
Greenland’s discovery by the Norse, like so many other discoveries, was an accident. While attempting to sail to Iceland, a thriving Norse colony, Gunnbjӧtn Ulfsson was blown off course. He did not land, but soon another did, Erik the Red. Occurring to the Saga of Erik the Red, Erik the red had been exiled from Iceland after several murders when he decided to launch a campaign to colonize Greenland. Even the name choice was advertising, as having a fruitful sounding name would make it more appealing. By 1000, around twenty five ships had landed there, with settlers that would live and multiply until the population reached to anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 people (Dugmore). The Norse attempted to maintain a lifestyle cultivated Iceland alive in Greenland. One of the