THE VINLAND MAP: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF ARCHAEOMETRIC RESEARCH ON ITS AUTHENTICITY

Author: HARBOTTLE, G.

Source: Archaeometry, Volume 50, Number 1, February 2008 , pp. 177-189(13)

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Abstract:

The authenticity of the `Vinland Map' (Beinecke Library of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Yale University) has been challenged on both codicological and scientific grounds, the latter resulting from a microscopic study of the ink employed. McCrone Associates of Chicago examined, between 1972 and 1974, a total of 29 microparticles, including 16 of ink from the Vinland Map, and in 1974 reported to Yale that it contained a pigment, anatase, only available after 1920. In 1974, Yale announced that the map was `probably a modern forgery'. This review critically examines archaeometric research leading to, and testing, this conclusion.

Keywords: VINLAND MAP; ANATASE; TITANIUM DIOXIDE; WALTER McCRONE; TITANIUM PIGMENT; INK

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4754.2007.00378.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA, and Chemistry Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973, USA

Publication date: 2008-02-01