The Viking Deception (1 of 17)

The Viking Deception

There are few more tantalizing or notorious historical documents than the Vinland map. A faded, yellowing scrap of parchment bearing a faint tracery of lines, the map apparently shows the eastern seaboard of North America - yet it was drawn at least half a century before Columbus reached the New World. It seems to present unshakeable proof that the Vikings were the real discoverers of the Americas. But for 40 years, a bitter debate over its authenticity has raged among cartographers, historians and scientists. Despite chemical analysis and radiocarbon tests, the case remained unresolved. Now, in an exclusive investigation, NOVA presents fresh evidence confirming that the map was probably one of the cleverest forgeries of all time, and probes who might have wanted to carry out the deception. In this enthralling cartographic detective story, NOVA pursues a trail from Scandinavia to Austria, Switzerland, London and the U.S.

In 1492,Columbus discovered America.
And for nearly 500 years,there could be no fact more certain.
Columbus and his discovery were inscribed in textbooks, recited by schoolchildren and celebrated by nations.
Then in the 1960s, history changed forever, when we learned that america was not discovered by columbus; america was discovered by the vikings.
The proof?
A wrinkled piece of parchment called the vinland map, claimed by experts to be the first to depict america, and it dates to 1440, half a century before columbus's famous voyage.
But is the vinland map real?
If it's a fake, it was done by a master of forgery.
It 's too complicated.
It 's too beautiful.
I think it's real.
From the moment it surfaced, scientists have subjected the map to an exhaustive series of forensic tests, but even they are divided over its authenticity.
If it is genuine,it's a fascinating historical document.
If it's not genuine, it's the biggest con trick that's been pulled on cartographical society in a very,very long time.