Media Portrayals of Viking Rune Stones in North America

Summary

In North America, rune stones of purported Viking origin have been the subjects of excitement, scrutiny, and dispute. The stones have been called hoaxes, and archaeologists and other workers remain unconvinced about the stones’ Viking origin and validity; nevertheless, claims have appeared over time that rune stones, which have turned up in such diverse locations as underwater and on hillsides, contain the inscriptions of Scandinavian explorers in North America, including inland areas, long before the arrival of Columbus. From Minnesota to Maine, the stones have attracted interest from the media and public alike, with both supporters and skeptics of the stones’ Viking origins weighing in. Newspaper, magazine, and television stories have covered rune stones and the controversies surrounding their creation. This paper focuses on how the media has portrayed the study and debates of rune stones in North America, including an examination of how their origins are discussed in various media outlets.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• News of the Weird (Archaeology)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage