VIDEO from the Norse Encampment - Daily Life in the Viking Age circa 1000 AD at Vinland. The Viking Encampment living history program at Parks Canada L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC in Newfoundland

the Norse Encampment Living History for the Viking Age

The 'Norse Encampment' is the collective name given to a series of living history programs, which illustrate daily life in the Viking Age. Historic interpreters, employing replica objects, bring the past to life through typical activities of the Norse, and portraying historic styled characters. Throughout the series exceptional care was taken to ensure everything involved in a presentation was reflective of current archaeological research. One cornerstone of all the presentations was reference to the Vinland voyages by the Norse, circa 1000 AD.

	Encampment INDEX
	L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC
	Artifacts and Replicas
	A Teachers Guide
	Research
	Interpreting the Viking Age
	Experimental Iron Smelting
	Dark Ages Re-creation Company
	from the Wareham Forge
	LINKS

Bringing the Viking Age to Life
YouTube Video

Experimental Iron Smelting

There are a growing number of short videos available which document primarily two aspects of the ongoing work related to the Norse Encampment program:
The series listed here are segments documenting individual experimental iron smelting experiments undertaken by Darrell Markewitz and other members of the Dark Ages Re-creation Company.

Both these and other videos are published on this YouTube Channel.
Onless otherwise noted, the experimental team is made up of members of the Dark Ages Re-creation Company.
Most recent contributions to the top.

'Econo Norse' Iron Bloomery Furnace
Firebrick construction BLOOMERY FURNACE used to smelt iron by a team lead by Neil Person and Richard Schwitzer of DARC on November 6, 2010. A total of 24 kg haematite grit is converted to a 8.5 kg high carbon bloom. (November 2010)

Vinland 3
Re-Creating the iron smelt by the Norse in Vinland, circa 1000 AD. Members of DARC undertake their third smelt in this specific series on November 7, 2009. The result was a 2.9 kg bloom produced from 18 kg of bog iron ore analog. This smelt used all human powered air, supplied via a Norse style double bag bellows (November 2009)

Vinland 2
Second in the experiments working towards a full re-creation of the iron smelt that took place in Vinland by the Norse during the Viking Age. This test employs a mechanical pump bellows to simulate hand powered air delivery. The test took place on October 11, 2009. (October 2009)

Vinland Iron Smelt
Based on the archaeology of L'Anse aux Meadows, the Vinland of the Sagas,an experiment on May 30, 2009. This iron smelt uses an analog for the bog ore used in 1000 AD by the Norse and results in the production of a 4 kg iron bloom! (June 2009)

Cutting an Iron Bloom
Hot cutting an iron bloom, here one created from a full scale test smelt based on the archaeology of L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC (Vinland). (June 2009)

'Belllows Plate' Iron Smelt
Icelandic Experiment 4. Undertaken by DARC with Ken Cook as smelt master on Nov 11, 2008. Layout of furnace based on excavations at Hals. Bellows plate with blow tube air system. (December 2008)

Stone Plate with Blow Hole Tuyere
Viking Age stone slab with blow hole construction. Darrell Markewitz describes the smelt in progress, October 7, 2007 - Icelandic Two. (December 2008)

Icelandic Pattern Smelt
First in a series based on the Viking Age iron production site at Hals in Iceland, undertaken October 8, 2007. (October 2008)

return to Encampment index

Darrell Markewitz
Interpretive Program Designer

The Wareham Forge
The Hamlet of Wareham, R.R. #2
Proton Station, Ontario
CANADA - N0C 1L0
(519) 923-9219 // info@warehamforge.ca

Who is Darrell Markewitz?