It began in 1821 with the finding of the Kingittorsuaq stone, the first evidence of runic writing in Norse Greenland. Researchers were faced for the first time with the language spoken by the Norse inhabitants of medieval Greenland. Since then, more than 160 additional finds of runic and Roman letter artefacts were retrieved from the soils of Greenland. The inscriptions were carved on gravestones, crosses, amulets, and on items of daily use. The Greenlandic runic material provides us with the opportunity to study the medieval tradition of writing in a rural society at close range. Not only does the material contribute to the history of Norse settlement in Greenland, it also contributes to our overall understanding of medieval runic writing. Between 2009 and 2013, the National Museum of Denmark hosted a research program, which led to this publication about the tradition of writing in medieval Greenland. This book focuses on the use of runic writing in medieval Greenland and on the writing process. The chapter on conclusions and perspectives includes bibliography and summaries in English, Greenlandic, and Danish. This book also contains a large catalogue with information on the inscribed artefacts, including drawings. (Series: Publications from the National Museum, Studies in Archaeology & History, Vol. 25) Subject: Archaeology, Scandinavian Studies, History, Medieval Studies]
