Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

2000 October 21 - 2001 January 21

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened in October 21, 2000 and closed January 21, 2001. Located in Section 20, Floor 4 in Gallery 4 at the American Museum of Natural History. "Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga" was an exhibition commemorating the 1000-year anniversary of the Viking arrival in North America.

Summary

"Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga" was an exhibition commemorating the 1000-year anniversary of the Viking arrival in North America. The exhibit examined the historic impact of recent archaeological finds and explored the creative and enterprising spirit that led the Vikings to North America. The exhibition detailed Scandinavian life 1,000 years ago and focused on important Viking contributions to developing civilizations. On display were more than 300 objects and images from ten countries. The artifacts represented aspects of Viking life from 800 A.D. to the present including Viking age jewelry, wooden carvings, medieval church carvings and modern pop-culture items. Highlights included the Lindisfarne Stone (c. 832) which depicts the Viking invasion of the Lindisfarne Priory in England; a scale model of an almost 40-foot-long Viking ship and the saga manuscripts, including the Saga of Erica the Red and the Saga of the Greenlander that celebrated the role of Erik the Red in the discovery of America in 1000 A.D. Also on view were items that provided evidence of contact between Vikings and Native Americans. The exhibition was organized by the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, and curated by Dr. William W. Fitzhugh and Elisabeth I. Ward. David Hurst Thomas, curator, Division of Anthropology, was the curator of the exhibition at the Museum. The exhibit was made possible primarily through the support of the Nordic Council of Ministers and Volvo. Additional support was provided by Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machines, the Barbro Osher Pro Sucecia Foundation, and Phillips Petroleum Company, Norway. Presented in partnership with the White House Millennium Council, the exhibit was on view in Gallery 4 at the American Museum of Natural History from October 21, 2000 through January 21, 2001. Afterwards, the exhibit went on tour for two years.

Individuals and institutions involved in the creation of the exhibition: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History; White House Millennium Council; Dr. William W. Fitzhugh; Elisabeth I. Ward; David Hurst Thomas.

Sources

American Museum of Natural History Press Release Fact Sheet, August 2000. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

American Museum of Natural History Press Release, 2000. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. LeFrak Family Gallery.
Location of exhibition.

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