Dr. Teva Videl in front of the Rök runestone in Sweden. Photo used with permission, please do not repost. Click to embiggen.
Welcome to Part 2 of our three-part series on the Point Rosee discovery! You can read Part 1 by going here and Part 3 by going here.
Now, I’m not an expert on the history of the Norse, but I do know someone who is — Dr. Teva Vidal, a real life Vikingologist and all around awesome person.
Here’s his bio:
Teva Vidal is a native of Ottawa and an alumnus of the University of Ottawa, where he got his first taste of medieval history. He completed a PhD in Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK, during which his research took him to places far and wide in the Viking World, including Iceland, Scandinavia, and throughout the UK. After returning to the University of Ottawa to teach about Vikings, medieval history, and medieval material culture, he has now taken on new opportunities as a researcher and analyst for the Federal Government. Teva also shares his expertise on the Viking World with Carleton University’s Learning in Retirement programme, and has been a historical consultant for the Crash Course online educational video series on Youtube.
What to know just how awesome Dr. Vidal is? He teaches classes dressed as Friar Tuck and as a Viking (photos are posted below. ;). He knows how to make chainmail and carves the most amazing pumpkins for Halloween (with intricate Celtic designs).
As soon as I read about Dr. Parcak’s discoveries, I knew exactly who to turn to. In Part 1 of the interview that follows, I ask Dr. Vidal about Parcak’s findings, whether her conclusions were sound, and how these findings fit into the larger history of the Norse in North America.