NOVA: The Viking Deception

Starring:Nova
Studio: Wgbh Boston
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
There are few more tantalizing or notorious historical documents than the Vinland map. A faded, yellowing scrap of parchment bearing a faint tracery of lines, the map apparently shows the eastern seaboard of North America-yet it was drawn at least half a century before Columbus reached the New World. It seems to present unshakeable proof that the Vikings were the real discoverers of the Americas. But for 40 years, a bitter debate over its authenticity has raged among cartographers, historians, and scientists. Despite chemical analysis and radiocarbon tests, the case remained unresolved. Now, in an exclusive investigation, NOVA presents fresh evidence confirming that the map was probably one of the cleverest forgeries of all time, and probes who might have wanted to carry out the deception. In this enthralling cartographic detective story, NOVA pursues a trail from Scandinavia to Austria, Switzerland, London, and the U.S.

Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

Description

There are few more tantalizing or notorious historical documents than the Vinland map. A faded, yellowing scrap of parchment bearing a faint tracery of lines, the map apparently shows the eastern seaboard of North America-yet it was drawn at least half a century before Columbus reached the New World. It seems to present unshakeable proof that the Vikings were the real discoverers of the Americas. But for 40 years, a bitter debate over its authenticity has raged among cartographers, historians, and scientists. Despite chemical analysis and radiocarbon tests, the case remained unresolved. Now, in an exclusive investigation, NOVA presents fresh evidence confirming that the map was probably one of the cleverest forgeries of all time, and probes who might have wanted to carry out the deception. In this enthralling cartographic detective story, NOVA pursues a trail from Scandinavia to Austria, Switzerland, London, and the U.S.

Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.

Customer Reviews:

Plain Old Forensics.......2007-02-09

I usually love forensic studies. When they use science to convict murderers, I'm ready to cheer. Some may feel that this work is great for the same reasons. However, I felt that the producers tried to create a shroud of mystery for a question to which they clearly knew the answer. I didn't like the way this documentary pulled the viewer from A to B to C so blatantly.

This work includes a hilarious comic sketch in which Columbus duels with a Viking. Later, they show a pizza maker throwing dough on a Yalie. Still, there doesn't need to be a fight as far as I'm concerned. Even if the Vikings reached North America first, it's still Colombus who introduced the Americas to Europe on a large scale. It doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. This work implied that no one wanted to upset Italian Americans, but surely that or any ethnic group would want the truth to come to light. The work shows a Yalie with a horned hat that the King of Norway gave him. However, almost every work on the Vikings says they did not wear horned hats.

The Yale museum shown looked like a waffle maker. What a monstrosity! How could the school that claims Maya Lin as an alumna have a building so tacky?!

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