In medieval Europe, walrus ivory was a highly sought-after commodity, particularly after the Crusades disrupted the trade of elephant ivory. Norse explorers, driven by the need for new sources, expanded into the North Atlantic, establishing settlements in Iceland and Greenland. However, recent research reveals that the ivory traded in Europe came not just from areas near Viking settlements but from remote hunting grounds in the High Arctic…As Vikings ventured into the Arctic, they did not encounter an empty wilderness. The Thule Inuit and other Indigenous peoples had long been established in these regions, hunting walrus and other marine mammals. This research supports the theory that early contact and trade between the Norse and Indigenous Arctic cultures occurred as far back as the 11th century.
