4,000-year-old arrowhead found in Irish siteSeptember 17th, 2009 DUBLIN - Archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old arrowhead in the Burren, in Ireland, which is evidence of what could be the oldest habitation site in the region. According to a report in The Irish Times, Graham Hull, director of the dig, said that the team of archaeologists "were whooping and jumping up and down at the discovery of a stone arrowhead".
Scientists may have discovered Homo sapiens' oldest known trackways in TanzaniaSeptember 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of researchers from the Appalachian State University, US, is investigating in Tanzania, East Africa, what may represent the oldest known and best-preserved trackways of modern humans (Homo sapiens) in the world. The research is being carried out by Dr.
Archaeologists discover world's oldest tree sign in PragueAugust 13th, 2009 PRAGUE - Archaeologists have uncovered a unique 1000-year-old mark engraved into an oak tree near Celakovice in Prague, Czech Republic, which is probably the oldest preserved sign of this kind in the world. According to a report in the Prague Monitor, the real meaning of the 10-cm star-shaped mark on the oak trunk is not certain.
Archaeologists may have found world's oldest known paraplegicJuly 27th, 2009 CANBERRA - Archaeologists have uncovered the ancient remains of a young man in northern Vietnam who could be the oldest known paraplegic in the world. According to a report in The Canberra Times, the discovery has astounded researchers, showing the long-term survival of a man with a severe disability in a community where almost 50 per cent of people died before they turned five.
Scientists find 'world's oldest willy'July 14th, 2009 SYDNEY - Scientists have discovered a 400 million-year-old reproductive organ in an ancient fish specimen, which is the oldest penis-like structure found yet. According to a report by ABC News, earlier this year, the team, led by Australian palaeontologist Dr John Long, predicted some ancient fish from the Devonian era, had an attachment to their pelvic bone, which were used by males to fertilize females.
Cities of Caral-Supe and Levoca added to UNESCO's World Heritage ListJune 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The Sacred City of Caral-Supe (Peru), the oldest centre of civilization in the Americas, and the historic centre of the town of Levoca (Slovakia), have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. The 5000-year-old 626-hectare archaeological site of The Sacred City of Caral-Supe is situated on a dry desert terrace overlooking the green valley of the Supe river.
Vatican archaeologists uncover oldest known portrait of St PaulJune 29th, 2009 LONDON - Vatican archaeologists have uncovered what they say is the oldest known portrait of St Paul. According to a report in The Times, the portrait, which was found two weeks ago but has been made public only after restoration, shows St Paul with a high domed forehead, deep-set eyes and a long pointed beard, confirming the image familiar from later depictions.
Archaeologists find oldest human settlement of Aegean IslandsJune 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The ruins of the oldest human settlement in the Aegean Islands found so far have been unearthed in archaeological excavations by a team of Greek, Italian and American archaeologists on the island of Limnos. The Aegean Islands are a group of islands in the Aegean Sea, with mainland Greece to the west and north and Turkey to the east.
Oldest falcon nest found in GreenlandJune 18th, 2009 LONDON - The oldest nest used by falcons, dating back to even before the time of Jesus, has been discovered in Greenland. Gyrfalcons, the world's largest species of falcon, still continually use the nesting site on a precarious cliff edge.
Archaeologists to unlock mystery behind world's oldest submerged townJune 8th, 2009 LONDON - An archeological team, using digital equipment, is all set to unlock the mystery behind the ancient Greek town of Pavlopetri, thought to be the oldest submerged town in the world. The team of archaeologists is from Britain's University of Nottingham and Greece's Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture.
1,400-year-old artifact oldest of its kind in Korean historyJune 4th, 2009 SEOUL - Archaeologists have found a 1,400-year-old artifact with the Taegeuk pattern in South Korea, the oldest of its kind in Korean history, along with 31 wooden tablets and a pair of wood carvings. According to a report in The Korea Times, the artifacts were excavated from the Bogam-ri tombs at Naju, South Jeolla Province last year and since then had gone through preservation treatment.
Ancient city in Peru likely to be considered as World Cultural Heritage siteJune 3rd, 2009 LIMA - Soon, the ancient city of Caral in Peru may be marked as a World cultural heritage site. According to a report in www.LivinginPeru.com, archaeologist Ruth Shady says that the ruins of the ancient city of Caral, located at 207 km or 128 miles to the north of Lima, meet the conditions to join the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Iron Period layers revealed by latest archaeology excavations in MacedoniaMay 31st, 2009 SOFIA - The latest archaeological research at the ancient observatory of Kokino in north-eastern Macedonia has revealed layers from the Iron Period, around the seventh century BC. "At the moment, there is intensive archaeological research on several sectors of the site," Minister of Culture Elizabeta Kancheska-Milevska explained during a Parliament session dedicated to questions of members of parliament.
Middle East's oldest village found In IranMay 27th, 2009 TEHRAN - Iranian and English archeologists have discovered the Middle East's oldest village that dates back to at least 9800 BC in western Iran. According to Press TV, the unique archeological discovery reveals Iran was the main Neolithic center of the Middle East.
One killed, 16 missing in Canada chopper crashMarch 13th, 2009 OTTAWA - One person was kiled and 16 others were missing Thursday when the helicopter in which they were travelling crashed into the North Atlantic off the coast of Canada's Newfoundland province, officials said. The aircraft, carrying 18 oil workers, was on its way to Hibernia offshore platform.
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September 8th, 2009 at 7:29 am
This article assumes that this Church would be the oldest Christian Church or settlement in North America. I highly doubt this to be true.
While the Vikings were visiting Newfoundland, they were nearing the end of a transition from being pagan to Christian. Many historians believe that it is very likely that Newfoundland Vikings were Christians, at least in part, and carried out Christian rituals in Newfoundland about 500 years before Cabot. As a result, there is a replica Viking Christian Church built in at the L’Anse-aux-Meadows site.
There are also legends that say Saint Brendan, an Irish Monk famous for sailing the North Atlantic, with a group of fellow monks discovered Newfoundland about 500 years before the Vikings. While evidence is scare, evidence of the Vikings was scare for centuries. In the 1970s an adventurer sailed from Ireland to Newfoundland using tools available in about 500. How long they stayed is in question.
There are other claims to the discovery of Newfoundland made by other Christians. These include explorers from Wales, Portugal, Spain, France (the Basque), Scotland, and England (other than Cabot). These claims range from the 1100s to 1400s. All of these would have been Christian.
I guess if any of the others actually made it to Newfoundland, Cabot just had the best “Public Relations and Media Campaign” of them all.
The article also rules out Christopher Columbus who was a Christian and discovered North America 5 years before John Cabot.
I guess that one of the legs of the article is how the words “settlement” or “Church” are defined. I understand that the (Christian) Vikings and post-Cabot “settlers” did not winter in Newfoundland. Therefore, if Saint Brendan, or any of the others actually arrived, stayed a little while, they could be called Christian settlers in Christians settlements with Christian Churches.
The other leg of the article is how the word “Christian” is defined. If any of the explorers before John Cabot converted any of the local native population, they should be considered Christians and factored into the above statement. Since explorers did their jobs for God, King, and Self, it is highly likely they engage in some missionary activity, even if only informally and unorganized.
I should note that in this sense the words “Christian” and “Catholic” are interchangeable. The Catholic Church was established by Jesus Christ Himself about 2000 years ago. The only Christian Church to exist prior to some Protestants choosing to make their own rules and churches was the Catholic Church. The exception being the Orthodox Church in Eastern Europe stated as a branch of Catholicism in 1054, but this does not apply to the Western Europe explorers. The Protestant Deformation did not happen until after North America was discovered.
But, I still applaud this academic team for “digging” into the Catholic history of Newfoundland. This work is greatly needed. Perhaps the article’s questionable claim was made by journalists with poor fact checking skills resulting in a mere thesis being stated as absolute fact.