Vinland Map Research Articles

Vinland Map Authentication: A Case Study for the Review of Spectroscopic Techniques and Application of X-ray Methods

Authentication of the Vinland map manuscript, supposedly from the 15th century, was used as a case study in an undergraduate upper-level instrumental-analysis class. The case provides a review of spectroscopic techniques and data analysis from several nondestructive techniques. Assessment of the case shows it to be particularly beneficial for student understanding of X-ray techniques.

Multiple Microanalyses of a Sample from the Vinland Map

A sample of the Vinland Map remaining from the radiocarbon dating was analysed with the purpose of identifying the post‐1950 contaminant and establishing other evidence on the material composition, identity and condition. The analyses revealed that the parchment originates from a bovid and contains hair remnants. The fibre structure was in poor condition, with fragmented collagen fibres and a low hydrothermal stability. Greenish and reddish particles were observed on the parchment. The greenish particles were identified as basic copper(II) chloride, most probably atacamite, and the reddish particles as rust; that is, various iron(III) oxides. The extracted modern contaminant was identified as being naturally produced glycerol monostearate.

Evidence that the Vinland Map Was Drawn Using an Iron Gall Ink: The Continuing Need for Further Research

The Vinland Map is a map of the world that shows “the island of Vinland” in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. It is housed in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. The Map has been purported to date from the Council of Basle, AD 1431-1449. The nature of the ink of the Map has not been identified. It has been suggested that it may be an iron gall ink, a carbon ink or an ink that contains anatase and gelatin and perhaps other unknown constituents. This paper will present evidence that supports the ink being an iron gall ink. It is intended that this evidence will encourage further research.

An exegesis concerning the novel Fragments of a Map

Fragments of a Map explores the journey towards completion for two women. Their journey is mirrored in the narrative by the women’s attempt to unravel the provenance of the Vinland Map. Central to the narrative is the question: “Is the Vinland Map a valuable 15th century map or a clever forgery?” The novel, through its concerns and structure, plays with the notion of research in the creative arts. This exegesis comments upon the concerns of the novel, and the writing and research processes.

Maps, Myths, and Men: The Story of the Vinland Map, by Kirsten A. Seaver

Maps, Myths, and Men: The Story of the Vinland Map, by Kirsten A. Seaver

A World of Letters: Yale University Press, 1908-2008 (review)

Reviewed by: A World of Letters: Yale University Press, 1908-2008 Kate Douglas Torrey A World of Letters: Yale University Press, 1908-2008. By Nicholas A. Basbanes. New Haven: Yale University Press. 2008. To mark its hundredth anniversary, Yale University Press commissioned this unabashedly celebratory history written by the noted bibliophile Nicholas Basbanes. Slight in size and breezily written, the book is organized into just four chapters, representing the tenure of each of the Press's directors: George Parmley Day, class of 1897, who helped establish the Press and led it from 1908 to 1954 ("The Formative Years"); Chester Kerr, class of 1936, who oversaw its operations from 1954 to 1979 ("The Middle Years"); John Ryden, who ran the Press from 1979 until 2003 ("Enriching the Mix"); and John Donatich, who succeeded him (2003 - : "A Press in Transition"). Yale is a distinguished and thriving publishing house, the nation's largest books—only—based university press, with a rich history. Today YUP publishes more than 300 new titles annually, and sales exceed $35 million. It has published hundreds of world-class authors from Gore Vidal, Edmund Morgan, and Jaroslav Pelikan to E. H. Gombrich, Kai Erikson, and Adrienne Rich. Basbanes relates some fascinating anecdotes, among them the events that preceded publication of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night" (1956) and those that followed publication of Eugene V. Rostow's A National Policy for the Oil Industry (1948), as well as the firestorm surrounding publication of The Vinland Map and the Tartar Relation (1965). But Basbanes often wanders off into topics that relate only tangentially to [End Page 194] YUP (for example, the Ithaka Report; a lengthy discussion of libraries; the definition of a monograph). In a book of just 198 small and open pages these digressions are especially jarring in light of the near-absence of whole decades of YUP's history. Nonetheless, some important moments such as the decision to open a London office to publish art books, which quickly became a cash cow for the Press, and the establishment of the Annals of Communism series and of Yale Younger Poets do get their due. And there are recitations of best-sellers and of some of the Press's many distinguished books. Surprisingly, there is no appendix listing Yale's winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Bancroft Prize, National Book Award, and other honors. Nor is there an index, a decision that seems inexplicable. So, too, are some other book-making decisions. The volume is "perfect" bound—glued, not sewn; it is adorned with plain white end leaves; and it is wrapped in paper-on-board binding rather than cloth. These penny-pinching decisions run counter to the special centennial website, the publicity, the spare-no-expense star-studded conference, and the other entirely appropriate celebrations of YUP's anniversary. Basbanes notes that the University's motto is lux et veritas—light and truth—"words that have special relevance to a publishing enterprise whose goal it is to create an enduring world of letters." (xiii) Despite changes that the digital revolution has visited upon publishers of music, newspapers, magazines, and books, the history and commitment outlined in A World of Letters inspire confidence that Yale University Press will enjoy a second century marked not merely by endurance but by excellence. Kate Douglas Torrey Director, University of North Carolina Press Copyright © 2010 Mid-America American Studies Association

ANALYSING THE VINLAND MAP: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF A CRITICAL REVIEW*

In an attempt to validate the Vinland Map as a genuine15th century work, Garman Harbottle (2008 ) claims to review critically, and thereby discredit, the archaeometric research undertaken on the Map's ink by Walter McCrone (1974–1999) and Brown and Clark (2002 ). In this paper we outline and discuss the numerous arguments that are presented by Harbottle, all of which we find to be misleading or at best highly questionable.

THE VINLAND MAP: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF ARCHAEOMETRIC RESEARCH ON ITS AUTHENTICITY*

The authenticity of the ‘Vinland Map’ (Beinecke Library of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Yale University) has been challenged on both codicological and scientific grounds, the latter resulting from a microscopic study of the ink employed. McCrone Associates of Chicago examined, between 1972 and 1974, a total of 29 microparticles, including 16 of ink from the Vinland Map, and in 1974 reported to Yale that it contained a pigment, anatase, only available after 1920. In 1974, Yale announced that the map was ‘probably a modern forgery’. This review critically examines archaeometric research leading to, and testing, this conclusion.

The Vinland Map Controversy and the Discovery of a Second Version of The Tartar Relation: The Authenticity of the 1339 Text

(2006). The Vinland Map Controversy and the Discovery of a Second Version of The Tartar Relation: The Authenticity of the 1339 Text. Terrae Incognitae: Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 19-25.

Responses to anomalous data obtained from repeatable experiments in the laboratory

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the possible responses to anomalous data obtained from experiments that are repeatable by carrying out additional or alternative experiments in the laboratory. Based on an analysis of responses from scientists to anomalous data taken from identification experiments on the Vinland Map, it was assumed that an additional response—uncertainty about interpretation of the data—should be considered in addition to the other eight responses reported by Chinn and Brewer 1998. It was also assumed that a process of responses containing more than one response is possible for a given subject who is responding to a given piece of anomalous datum in the laboratory. Both assumptions were verified by examining responses of undergraduates to anomalous data obtained from repeatable laboratory experiments. The results of this study show that there are nine categories of responses: ignoring; rejection; uncertainty of validity; uncertainty of interpretation; exclusion; abeyance; reinterpretation; peripheral conceptual change; and conceptual change. Moreover, two categories of processing, anomalous data–final response (A‐R process) and anomalous data–[mediators with/without intermediate responses]–final response (A‐M‐R process), are assessed in this study. It is suggested that science instructors could use the nine categories of responses to understand the learning characteristics of students, and also to use the A‐M‐R process to design suitable teaching strategies to arrive at meaningful learning. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 506–528, 2007

The Vinland Map, R. A. Skelton and Josef Fischer

Maps, Myths, and Men: The Story of the Vinland Map. By Kirsten Seaver. Stanford, Stanford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0‐8047‐4962‐0 (cloth); 0‐8047‐4963‐9 (paper). Pp. xxi, 480, illus. US $65.00 (...

America Discovered: A Historical Atlas of North American Exploration by Derek Hayes

tratedwith the abundance of intricacies and exhaustive details, particularly concerning the complexities ofOregon and United States land law.Those details dominate thefirst half of the book and set thestagefor O'Kelly's subsequent, tumultuous legaldifficulties, which comprise the second half. Lansing is a tenacious and thorough researcher ? nearlymatching his historical subject in tenacity ? as he has un doubtedly unearthed everyscrapofpaper even remotely related to theNimrod O'Kelly case and thecompeting land claims thatspawned it. For thosewith patience and interestintheearly historyof settlingthe landand the litigiousness surrounding those settlements ? with a little murder and intrigueon thefar western frontier thrown in forgood measure ? thisbook will not disappoint. Keith Edgerton Montana State University-Billings AMERICA DISCOVERED: A HISTORICAL ATLAS OF NORTHAMERICANEXPLORATION by Derek Hayes Vancouver, British Columbia, Douglas & Mclntyre, 2004. Illustrations, maps, bibliography, index. 224 pages. $40.00 cloth. America Discovered by geographer Derek Hayes is a marvelously crafted visual work. Its 280 color maps range from the controver sial fifteenth-century Vinland map, possibly thefirst map to show a portion of theNorth American continent, to some of the latestand most stunning examples of contemporary images derived from satellites orbiting high above Earth's surface.Text summarizingNorth American exploration accompanies the maps. A handymap catalog in theback of thevolume identifies the author and location of each of OREGON ORIGINALS The Art of Amanda Snyder & Jefferson Tester May 12 - November 27 Exhibit catalogues from the Oregon Historical Society Oregon Originals The Art of Amanda Snyder and Jefferson Tester editedby Robert L. Joki and Marsha T. Matthews Published by theOregon Historical Society 48 pages. 34 full-color artworks. $15.00 paper This BountifulPlace Art /?^Agriculture This Bountiful Place ArtAbout Agriculture, thePermanent Collection editedbyShelley Curtis Published by the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences, in association with the Oregon Historical Society Press 256 pages. 238 images, including 183 full-color artworks. $26.00 paper. Exhibitson view now at theOregon Historical Society For more information, visit www.ohs.org or call 503.306.5198. 308 OHQ vol. 107, no. 2 theoriginalmaps, including the always useful referencenumbers for major collections such as theLibraryofCongress, theBritish Museum, and other archives. Ifone is interested inperusing thehistori cal development of cartographic depictions of the North American continent from itsearliest discoverers to the present,Hayes's collection ranks favorably with similarworks in itsartis ticpresentation. Unfortunately, here ends the resemblance toworks such as TheMapping ofAmerica by Ralph Ehrenberg and Seymour Schwartz or The Atlas of North American Ex ploration byWilliam Goetzmann and Glyn dwrWilliams. These works are authoritative reference works, with textgrounded in a firm knowledge of both theprocess of exploration inNorth America and the development of cartographic representations of the continent. Hayes's book can claim tobe neither authorita tivenor accurate. It is so filledwith errors of omission and commission thatall of thebook's visual splendor cannot come close tomaking up for its inaccuracies. Even thecasual readerwill recognize quickly that thebook isnot what itpurports to be. A claim is made early in thebook? and on its dust jacket ? thatthegeographical knowledge of indigenous people will be an important part of the contents. Yet, of the 280 maps in thebook, five are specificallybased on Indian information and,when the text mentions In dian/explorer contacts, itusually does so in an offhand way by referringoccasionally to information obtained by Indians. Unfortunately, such disingenuous claims are far from theworst feature of the book. The text iswritten in a chattyor even gossipy fashion, as if the author were sharing with readers knowledge that is possessed only by the most erudite. Yet, on numerous occasions, the author demonstrates an appalling lack of familiarity with some of the most essential ele ments ofNorth American exploration and the basics of exploratory cartography.The lack of careful scholarship isapparent almost fromthe beginning. Inhis introduction, Hayes describes how John Wesley Powell, on his exploration of theColorado River, found carved on thewall of "an inaccessible canyon" the inscription "D. Julien,3Mai, 1836."Hayes does not tell us how either Powell or "D. Julien"got to an inaccessible canyon. But he does conclude in his typical,overdramatic fashion that "Powell was not thefirstpast that spot for sure;yetwe know nothing of poor Julien" (p. 7). A quick glance at LeroyHafen's ten-volume collection, TheMountain...

Book Review: Maps, myths, and men. The story of the Vinland Map

Book Review: Maps, myths, and men. The story of the Vinland Map

Maps, myths, and men: the story of the Vinland map

Maps, myths, and men: the story of the Vinland map

Vinland: An Inky Controversy Lives

A small but determined group of researchers again argues that the Vinland map is authentic. The 47-year-old controversy isn't going away.

A Selection of Some of Dr. McCrone's High and Low Profile Cases in the Forensic Analysis of Art

Throughout Dr. McCrone's active professional career of over 60 years, he worked on many cases involving the forensic analysis of art. This is an overview of a small portion of these cases. Included (exposed as fakes) are the Shroud of Turin, the Vinland Map, Mayan pottery illustrations and Larionov pastels. Also included, with strong support for authentication, are three paintings attributed to Manet, Giorgione, and Leonardo da Vinci.

More Vinland maps and texts. Discovering the New World in Higden’s Polychronicon

Over four decades have passed since an antiquarian bookseller brought a medieval map to Yale University Library and set into motion a series of events that would end in a controversy that continues to this day: is the so-called Vinland Map real and, if so, what is its significance? This present essay seeks to contribute to the debates over the early mapping of America by investigating the possibility that the Vinland Map (regardless of authenticity) is not the sole visual representation of Norse America, and certainly not the earliest. Rather, the earliest surviving maps of America appear to be a series of T--O derivative maps produced roughly 150 years before the voyages of Columbus as illustrations to Ranulf Higden's Polychronicon. Further, largely ignored descriptions of Vinland can be found not only in Higden's text, but in four additional texts as well, two of them in the vernacular. These various appearances of Vinland indicate the continuing remembrance or rumour of another land to the west, a record of the New World that demands additional study.

Evidence That the Vinland Map Is Medieval

The Vinland Map has been proposed to date to the mid-fifteenth century and is significant in showing the north Atlantic area of what is now North America about 50 years before the voyages of Columbus. It has been confirmed by radiocarbon dating that the map was drawn on a fifteenth century parchment; however, controversy regarding the ink of the map has persisted. Analytical studies of the ink of the map have been interpreted to show that the map is a twentieth century forgery because of the presence of carbon and anatase in the ink. However, carbon is known to have been added to medieval iron gallotannate inks, and the presence of anatase in a medieval ink can be explained by examining the process of making medieval inks.

Analysis of pigmentary materials on the Vinland Map and Tartar Relation by Raman microprobe spectroscopy

Analysis of pigmentary materials on the Vinland Map and Tartar Relation by Raman microprobe spectroscopy

Analysis of pigmentary materials on the vinland map and tartar relation by Raman microprobe spectroscopy.

Studies by Raman microprobe spectroscopy have shown that the black ink defining each feature on the controversial Vinland Map consists of carbon that overlays a yellow line containing anatase. This material was not detected elsewhere on the map. Since anatase has not been found on medieval artifacts, and such yellow lines are only naturally produced by iron gallotannate inks, a modern (post 1923) origin for the Vinland Map is strongly indicated. The ink of the Tartar Relation is different and probably consists of an iron gallotannate mixed with a small proportion of carbon. The rubrication is established to be vermilion.