Ancient Apocalypse - Season 2 - Eps 5: The Greenland Vikings
Led by Erik the Red, in 985 AD, an initial wave of Vikings from Scandinavia establish two successful outposts along the fjords of Southern Greenland – the ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ settlements. Numbering around 4,000 at their peak, they construct manor house and work the harsh terrain, to make it suitable for their European pastoralist life. They raise sheep, goats, and cattle; they trade furs, walrus-tusk ivory, and other arctic goods with Europe. For hundreds of years, they hold a quasi-monopoly on the European ivory trade, and almost all of it comes from walruses hunted by the Norsemen in Greenland. However, despite their commercial success, the Norse suddenly and mysteriously disappear from historical record at the start of the 15th century. The fate of the Norse will continue to bewilder archaeologists for centuries to come.
About Ancient Apocalypse
Title: Ancient Apocalypse
First Air Date: 2021-01-01
Last Air Date: 2023-12-19
Status: Returning Series
Rating: 6.8/10 (from 6 votes)
Language: DE
Seasons: 2
Total Episodes: 12
Network: Unknown
Genres: Documentary
Production Companies: ZDF Enterprises, ZDFinfo, World Media Rights
Synopsis
Ancient Apocalypse investigates six catastrophic stories of how the world’s greatest civilisations collapsed. Every continent has its ruins — places where only stones tell the tale of a fallen people. They might lay buried under the Earth, in the shade of jungle canopy or amidst the teeming industry of a modern city. However, they all raise the same questions: How could something so great all but vanish? Why do civilisations collapse? In this 6-part series, we uncover the scientific reasons why some of history’s most fascinating peoples have disappeared in the face of the natural world’s might. We investigate the end of The Akkadian Empire, The Lost City of Helike, Sodom and Gomorrha, The mystery of the Sea Peoples, The Maya Civilisation and Doggerland. Some of the world’s greatest natural disasters reduced these societies to nothing.
