This reading was quite interesting, as there is something so mysterious about a civilization disappearing in what seems like a very very short time. Especially when we begin to rethink what might have caused it in the first place. When thinking of the destruction of westernization and colonization, I can only think that we are still living in an era where similar things could continue happening. Sea levels will begin to rise, forest fires continue to cause destruction, and although these are acts of nature, they ultimately may have been caused by the actions of humans.

Another situation of a civilization disappearing with no obvious explanation was the infamous lost city of Roanoke. Although with the Norse habitation of Norway was shown to be left (whether by travel or death) over more than a few weeks, the lost city of Roanoke seemed like it disappeared almost overnight. Of course there is no proof for this as no one had come in or out of Roanoke for many many weeks. There are still no confirmed explanations for this, other than some with the elements involved, the indigenous populations on the nearby Croatoan island, and more. But it is another example of European Settlers causing destruction and mass death (although in this instance, presumably of themselves).

It is hard now to imagine holding on to some of the things the Norse did before their demise, such as not wanting to eat fish and keeping large wooden artifacts that had spiritual or social significance. But back in the times of these Norse Settlers, it was all they had. They didn’t have the modern science to know why these environmental events were happening, why they couldn’t fix everything, so they had to rely on their beliefs and their way of life until they physically couldn’t do it anymore.