The Vikings are coming! 

To the Canadian Museum of Civilization

Hull, Quebec, On May 8, 2002, the Canadian Museum of  Civilization will be the site of a new sort of Viking invasion with the opening of the exhibition Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Featuring more than 300 priceless artifacts gathered from nine institutions on both sides of the Atlantic, this major exhibition sheds new light on the Vikings' culture and history - a thousand years after their first arrival in North America.

"We are pleased to be the only Canadian stop on this outstanding exhibition's North American tour," declares Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. "We are also proud to be able to introduce - for its presentation at the Canadian Museum of Civilization - the Helluland Archaeology Project: a new research initiative undertaken by one of our staff archaeologists, suggesting more extensive contact between the Norse and Native peoples than previously suspected."

The Vikings have traditionally been viewed as violent marauders, invading foreign shores to loot and pillage. Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, mounted by the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, challenges this view and shows that the Vikings were skilled farmers, accomplished traders, intrepid explorers and masterful artisans. Although they did raid nearby settlements in search of loot and land, the Vikings often built towns, farming communities and cultural centres in the territories they conquered or settled. Based on sagas, historical documents and archaeology, Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga examines and celebrates the rich Viking legacy, as well as the Viking journey westward, which reached the North American coast 1,000 years ago.

The CMC is proud to have contributed more than 25 key pieces from it's collections to this travelling exhibition. Among the highlights of the exhibition are four original manuscripts - including the Jònsbòk (The Book
of Laws, circa thirteenth century) - Icelandic national treasures whose loan to this exhibit required an act of Parliament. Also to be seen is a famous piece of Viking "loot": Ranvaig's Shrine, a reliquary casket. The oldest
object in the exhibition is the Gotland Picture Stone, dating AD 750, that depicts a fallen warrior's voyage into the afterlife.

"The Viking expansion from their Scandinavian homelands and their arrival in North America was a truly historic event," says head curator, Dr. William Fitzhugh of the Smithsonian Institution. "The arrival of the Vikings on North American shores marks the first meeting of two streams of humanity - European and Native American - on the northeastern shores of this continent."

In support of Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, the Canadian Museum of Civilization is planning a number of outstanding programs and events. The possibilities include a series of Norse musical and theatrical performances, a summer solstice festival, a ten-day Viking festival, educational programming and more.

Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga has been made possible through the generous support of the Nordic Council of Ministers and Volvo, and is presented by the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, in partnership with the White House Millennium Council. Additional support has been provided by Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machines, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and Phillips Petroleum Company Norway.

The exhibition will be presented at the Canadian Museum of Civilization from May 8 to October 14, 2002.

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