This week Expedition Unknown is on the trail of the adventurous VIkings as Josh Gates and the team follow their journeys from Iceland to Greenland and then on to what is now North America.
The Vikings prime motive in exploring new places seems to have been the very scarce resources of their harsh homeland, where steep fjords and mountainous terrain left little land to farm. This combined with the cold Northern European climate meant that life was very hard and clung on in narrow strips near the sea.
However, this proximity to the sea also led to them becoming the greatest ship builders and sea farers of their age, and they travelled all across Europe and even over the Atlantic and into the Middle East. Josh and the team are interested in their later journey’s across to Greenland and then beyond.
Josh and the team have to face sharks, icebergs and treacherous terrain as they attempt to find out just how far did the Vikings venture into North America and whether they settled there for any length of time.
Fans of History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island might also be interested in this episode, as some theorise that the Vikings might have left treasure on the island…
Expedition Unknown airs on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM on Travel Channel.
James Wray
James has worked for Monsters and Critics since it started back in 2003. He oversees the business and technical side of things. You can contact or follow him on Twitter.