Comments on: Low-Tech Vikings May Have Used Mineral With Funky Optics to Reach New World

By: Jay Warner

Jay Warner — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:08:08 +0000

Consider the other means for navigation in this period – type of sand dredged up, depth of water, type of flotsam, etc., – and you realize that a sun stone would be a most valuable item. I’d hate to think so valuable an item would get tossed into a privy pit (a usual source of artifacts), or left behind when a place was abandoned. Only if a ship was lost at sea, with the captain, and the captain’s clothes containing the sunstone preserved as well, are we likely to find one in an archeological site.

By: Philippa Doran

Philippa Doran — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:33:11 +0000

The Vikings also used a raven to find land.

So did Noah!

By: Brian Too

Brian Too — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:35:06 +0000

I’m sure the “low-tech Vikings” would have considered this the height of technology and sophistication in their day!

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:50:39 +0000

I recall taking a biology 300 cphysics and chemistry of the environment course in the 70′s where this hypothesis was brought up with respect to polarized light.

Good to see more confirmation of an hold hypothesis.

By: Michael Swanson

Michael Swanson — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:16:07 +0000

1. Kevin Johnson Says:

“The ancient Clovis peoples may have used calcite to traverse the American Southwest. There is no evidence of it, but yet it is highly plausible.”

Replace “plausible” with “possible” and I can accept that with another type of crystal — a large grain of salt.

By: floodmouse

floodmouse — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:38:07 +0000

I need a sunstone today, it is kind of cloudy here.

By: blindboy

blindboy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:28:11 +0000

Ah yes “Against The Day” one of Pynchon’s finest. Contains many references to Icelandic spar.

By: Brent

Brent — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:39:14 +0000

Why would the clovis need such a device in the mostly cloudless south west?

By: Laurie

Laurie — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:05:50 +0000

Thomas Pynchon had a bit to say about this.

By: Christina Viering

Christina Viering — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:13:26 +0000

Go Vikings!

By: Kevin Johnson

Kevin Johnson — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:03:49 +0000

The ancient Clovis peoples may have used calcite to traverse the American Southwest. There is no evidence of it, but yet it is highly plausible.