Mondo Knows Facts
Norse Greenland lived on walrus ivory exports
Scandinavian settlers farmed a harsh coast and hunted walrus for European churches Erik the Red led settlers to southwest Greenland in 985, and their communities endured for roughly five centuries. Fjord pastures supported cattle and sheep, but the export that mattered most was walrus ivory and hide, prized for crucifixes and gaming pieces. The settlements faded in the fifteenth century, and the reasons remain debated. It sits in Mondo's history collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
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Tags: greenland, norse, walrus-ivory
Norse Greenland lived on walrus ivory exports: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Scandinavian settlers farmed a harsh coast and hunted walrus for European churches. The figure is taken from National Museum of Denmark, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a history fact?
- Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.