<P> These travels explain as well how the vinviðir (wine wood) the Norse were cutting down in the sagas is actually referring to the vines of Vitis riparia, a species of wild grape that grows on trees . As the Norse were searching for lumber, a material that was needed in Greenland, they found trees covered with Vitis riparia south of L'Anse aux Meadows and called them vinviðir . </P> <P> Artifacts attribute to the Norse Greenlanders have been found in Canada, particularly on Baffin Island and in northern Labrador . A late - 11th - century Norwegian penny, with a hole for stringing on a necklace, has also been found in Maine . There is dispute about the authenticity of this small penny, and its discovery by an amateur archaeologist in 1957 has become controversial; questions have been raised whether it was planted as a hoax . </P> <P> Other claimed Norse artifacts in the area south of the St. Lawrence include a number of stones inscribed with runic letters . The Kensington Runestone was found in Minnesota, but is generally considered a hoax . The authenticity of the Spirit Pond runestones, recovered in Phippsburg, Maine, is also questioned . Other examples are the Heavener Runestone, the Shawnee Runestone, and the Vérendrye Runestone . The age and origin of these stones is debated, and so far none has been firmly dated or associated with clear evidence of a medieval Norse presence . In general, script in the runic alphabet does not in itself guarantee a Viking age or medieval connection, as Dalecarlian runes have been suggested to have been used until the 20th century . </P> <P> Possible archeological findings in 2015 at Point Rosee, on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, could be the location of a bog iron - smelting site and therefore a possible Norse settlement . The site was discovered through satellite imagery and magnetometer readings, but no positive identification has been made thus far . </P>

Archaeologists believe vinland was located on the continent of