> I'm actually surprised no one has pointed out the Greenland finds, which as > I recall mostly date from the 14th century.
I guess I was assuming the original poster knew about them. They had goats and sheep, and seem to have exported ivory. I think that might give a clue > as to what a potential Vinland colony might have been wearing in the > 14th/15th centuries--similar to European styles, but probably lagging > current fashion somewhat. And somewhat down-market. If the colony continued to be part of Norse > trading routes, they certainly would have had access to wool fabrics from > Iceland or beyond. Not to mention sheep. I would expect that they would have used local skins for > shoes, outerwear, and other things that you would need skins for, but on the > other hand, a settlement in Vinland might well have quickly become a > shipping point for North American goods (such as furs and skins) into the > European market in exchange for luxury goods. I would assume skins and furs would be their major export. The Mexican colonists in early 19th century in California (pre-Gold Rush) exported tallow and cow hides and nothing else. Their entire economy was based on that export, although they were self-sufficient for food. The Russian colony at Ft. Ross in Northern California, in the same period, only exported furs. The Mayflower colonists were originally expected to export lumber, and I seem to find that the Vinlanders did too. -- Carolyn Kayta Barrows -- “The future is already here, it is just unevenly distributed.” -William Gibson -- _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
