JOIN TODAY
JOIN TODAY

Study Suggests Europe’s Medieval Ivory Came From Greenland

News August 9, 2018

(Photograph courtesy of Musées du Mans)
SHARE:

177389 web
(Photograph courtesy of Musées du Mans)
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—According to an Associated Press report, a new genetic analysis of 1,000-year-old walrus skulls in European museum collections suggests at that at least 80 percent of them were imported from Norse settlements in Greenland. Walrus tusks were used to produce luxury items such as ivory crucifixes, knife handles, dice, and chess sets for Europe’s medieval elite. But because museum officials have been reluctant to allow scientists to take samples of medieval artifacts for testing, the source of the ivory was unknown. James Barrett of the University of Cambridge and his colleagues found 23 walrus tusks that were still attached to pieces of skull in museum collections around Europe, and collected samples of the bones for the investigation. The researchers now think a collapse in the European market for ivory, brought on by the Black Death and other factors, may have triggered the downfall of the Norse settlements, rather than the cooler climate of the Little Ice Age, as had been previously thought. To read more about the archaeology of Greenland, go to "Letter from Greenland." 

Recommended Articles

Artifacts July/August 2025

Maya Ceramic Figurine

Read Article
Courtesy Ken Seligson

Off the Grid July/August 2025

Vichama, Peru

Read Article
Lisa Trever

Digs & Discoveries July/August 2025

Bound for Heaven

Read Article
Yoli Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority

Digs & Discoveries July/August 2025

Saints Alive

Read Article
Berlin State Monument Office, Julia-Marlen Schiefelbein

More to Discover

Features July/August 2018

Westminster Abbey’s Hidden History

Far above the royal pomp and circumstance, archaeologists unexpectedly discover seven centuries of England’s past

Read Article
(James Brittain-VIEW/Alamy Stock Photo)

  • Features July/August 2018

    The City at the Beginning of the World

    The only Maya city with an urban grid may embody a creation myth

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Timothy Pugh/Itza Archaeological Project)

  • Letter from England July/August 2018

    Inside the Anarchy

    Archaeologists explore the landscape of England’s first civil war

    Read Article
    (Kate Ravilious)

  • Artifacts July/August 2018

    Roman Boxing Gloves

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Vindolanda Trust)

  • Digs & Discoveries July/August 2018

    Sun Storm

    Read Article
    (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)