I am from Iceland and noticed that a lot of the pictures shown are in deed from Iceland. In Iceland we still speak the language the viking spoke when they were sailing to North America and Greenland. We can easily read the books and the books were all written in Iceland. We look at Eric the Red and Thorfinnur Karlsefni as Icelanders :) Thanks for this interesting passage

When Eric the Red named Greenland he was engaging in a proud human tradition that would be passed down through the centuries, eventually giving us what we call "clickbait" today.

I have trained in Greenland as U.S. Marine on 4 separate occasions. It is a beautiful and haunting place.

From a Canadian with Norwegian and Native ancestry, thank you for this great documentary

this is the kind of documentary and talent that should be shown on the History channel, not the garbage that's show all day and night

This was a masterpiece. I literary spent the rest of the day after finishing this just thinking about it. At the end I generally wanted to applaud the story telling here. Nothing short of amazing.

The idea of being all alone on Greenland surrounded by dark ice and sea is truly horrifying.

Mr Cooper, started watching this noon and still watching. I will watch them all because I have to. These are very enjoyable, your voice, research and attention to detail and feeling. Ive lived in Greenland, Newfoundland, Alaska and several very cold places and now for 23 yrs in Montana in the Rockies. These places are truly very soulful places and wild as they are quietly inspirational. I do write, and these series are a great escape from my focus to sweep me away and travel back in time like I love to do on the map. Wonderful work. Thank you.

This is ten times better than modern American TV

Content: 10 Narration: 10 Images: 10 Sound and Music: 10 Well done presentation..

I'm a massive documentary buff [i binge watch a lot of documentaries, especially whilst i'm crocheting] and this is By far, the best series of documentaries, I've seen to date! Please keep up the great work and i look forward to seeing more of your content!

It's inevitable that in a show named "Fall of civilizations" I always end with this melancholy in my spirit. But it's a so sweet melancholy - and so a first class lesson in History that I can't stop loving your work. Congrats on the quality of your work, Paul.

I love how he explains all possible theories and discusses the evidence for each.

I am from Limerick in Ireland . Limerick was founded in 922ad by a Norwegian Viking named Thormador Helgasson . He led an immense war fleet with around five thousand warriors .The Vikings ruled Limerick and it’s surroundings for about 50 years until the native Irish under king Brian Boru defeated them . There are still signs and Viking names here .

Tack för en mycket informativ historisk film om våra förfäder vikingar🙏❤️ /Björn Kungsbacka 🇸🇪

I really don't understand what the 984 people could have disliked about this video, so they felt like marking the "thumb down"? I watched it twice in a row, and it made me travel to those faraway times and lands. It is a highly professional and captivating documentary, thank you for all the work on it @Fall of Civilizations.

I think I am one of many who have found this channel and are now thoroughly hooked.... You are an excellent story teller.

I'm feeling so moved by this beautiful documentary... I had always wanted to watch something like this about the lost Norsemen of Greenland. Thanks a lot. Outstanding work.

I love your documentaries so much Paul! My all time favourite ones are the Aztec and Sumerian doco’s you did. I’ve listened and watched them both multiple times. Now I love this Viking one too. Thank you 🙏😊

Both sides of my family are Scandinavian and came by way of Nova Scotia into Maine and to Massachusetts at different times. I am 40 and my mother is just now telling me about my families histories!

intelligent, thought provoking, nuanced non-dogmatic documentary. Absolutely top quality

What an excellent series!! I am astounded at the hardihood of these settlers. To withstand such temperatures and harsh conditions is truly heroic. I find the aerial shots of the ocean just mesmerising - the wave action, the heaving of the sea and foam coming into the shoreline is like a living canvass. These productions are truly first class, educational, beautifully narrated and absorbing. Thank you.

I NEVER fail to be absolutely amazed by the your high level of production value and beauty of presentation in every one of your episodes. It is just amazing, and puts the major "documentary" sources to shame. I mean, you are basically explaining huge swathes of human history to us, in fascinating, understandable and beautiful ways. It just blows my mind. Thank you so so much. I don't know how you do it, but I am so so grateful.

Time Stamps Please feel free to add other important moments below if I've missed anything! Thank you Paul for such beautiful work! 0:00 The Discovery of the Red Haired Man 3:15 Introduction and Welcome 4:46 The First Europeans in North America 7:08 Sources of Information - Epic Poems 8:30 Iceland 10:19 Erik “The Red” Thorvaldsson 14:45 Eyiolf the Foul and Erik’s Banishment 17:04 Greenland’s Landscape 19:15 The Settlement of Greenland 23:37 Lik-Lodin 25:45 Life in Greenland 27:18 The Walrus Ivory Trade 30:11 The Cathedral and Barn at Eystribyggð 31:50 Asmund Kastranrassi’s Ship 33:11 The Indigenous People of Greenland “Skraelings” 40:17 Leif Erikson and North America 46:26 L’Anse Aux Meadows 48:34 The Mysterious End of Vestribyggð 51:50 The Little Ice Age 56:50 Resisting Adaptation 59:50 Farming and Resource Management 1:03:21 The Dissolution of European Trade Lines and The Bubonic Plague 1:08:57 The Last Written Record in Greenland at Hvalsey Church 1:13:33 An Alternative Theory 1:18:42 The Voluspa and Final Words

When you die but no one notices until the tax collector starts knocking on your door. 49:04

What a phenomenal story. Told with poetic grace and such beautiful photography. Art, science and history! This is whole language education at the very best.

This channel is like what the History channel was/should be. Thank you for doing what you do.

This is by far the best documentary on Vikings of Greenland love this!

I love your work Paul. Your style is so refreshing, thoughtful and poetic. You take me on a journey of imagination rooted in reality and remind me how fragile life is and how we humans try to adapt but may not always succeed. The timing of these with the plague we now endure is truly fantastic...like a seal of approval from our ancestors who suffered before us. Great work. And thank you.

I already watched some of his documentations, and I am VERY impressed! So much extra info, I NEVER heard before about these topics. So well explained, no hectic video effects, calm education. - BRAVO! Hopefully more to come!

Absolutely captivating. How tough humanity was.

Tears in my eyes...and what a voice, reading the Ragnaröck at the end..what wonderful Story telling and beautiful images once again, thank you so much Paul Cooper

I've started with the Sumer one, just because I have a particular interest on that civilisation (I read History Starts in Sumer when I was about 10), and I'm now going through the whole series. I find very interesting that I feel I'm learning history with these videos, as opposed to most other documentaries I've watched. Great work.

What an Excellent documentary! This guy really does his research. I learned so much from this that I feel a bit foolish for thinking that I knew a lot about the Vikings already. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Although I find every episode of your work deeply moving, I was, for some reason, even more moved by this episode. How I love your series! What a gift you give us. Thank you.

I've studied this subject a fair amount, and these seem the most reasonable conclusions to me. Well done!

One of the best documentaries i have ever watched

I've binge watched the whole series and it's the best thing I've seen in years. The writing is amazing.

This storytelling is absolutely amazing! I feel as if I'm travelling with these Norsemen of old, as if I'm on the boat with them! Vikings Forever!

I thank you once again for a well-formed presentation. I so appreciate your efforts to pass-on your knowledge, you make learning enjoyable..

when i was a little kid, looking at maps and learning geography, i always wondered how Greenland got it's name. on a world map it looks all white with ice, while Iceland has bits of green vegetation. now at 33 i finally i know why! thanks!

Lovwd this as my Mom's family came to Canada from Iceland. A history lesson for me . thank you

It needs to be said: your narration is equaled by few and surpassed by none. Awesome!

This episode is simply the very best of the best, in in-depth research, writing, visuals, narrative, presentation and more. And this one--especially to us of Northern European ancestry--really spoke to me. All of Paul's "Fall of Civilizations" documentaries are the finest that UKposts (or any other venue) has to offer, right across the spectrum of history. Gotta keep this going. I'm going to head off to Patreon now.

Being of Norse descent, this was absolutely fascinating. My family was able to trace our roots back to the 1700s. Unfortunately before that, the records become rare so we are unable to go back farther. Thanks for this!

You ,sir, have produced the best and most knowledgeable documentaries on the Vikings yet to be seen. The keen attention to details is second to none. Thank you!

Superior documentary film....... Everything, narration, camera...... I can't praise this film enough. Also no distracting overbearing music in the background...... And how fortunate, to be filming the Northern Lights, which I had seen only a few times in the past. Excellent!! Superb!!

Paul, congratulations on having mastered your craft. Compelling, informative, entertaining, thought-provoking, calming... I can't wait to watch the next episode and, yet, I don't, because I don't want it to end. Thank you!

The Inuit also state that the Eastern Settlement was attacked by what could have been pirates at the end. In fact Iceland was virtually besieged by English pirates in the 15th century so what was left of the great families of Iceland brought in Hanseatic pirates to defend the sovereignty of Iceland. The Greenland settlement was occasionally visited by Bristol merchants late in the colony's history. Steady Inuit incursion was probably also a major factor in the Greenland Norse demise...they were better adapted to that environment and they had the advantage of superior mobility... they could hit and run relatively isolated Norse farms with impunity. The Western settlement was actually fairly important to the overall colony's survival because it was the best jumping off place for N. America and also because area north of it were the best hunting and fishing grounds in Greenland. It's loss in the 1380's was critical. Apparently the Inuit also swept down the western side of the Davis strait either absorbing the Dorset Eskimo or displacing them in about the same time frame as they migrated down the western side of Greenland. When the Norwegian or Icelander mentioned at the beginning of the episode showed up in the 1500's the Inuit were in complete control of the western shore of Greenland. Pretty balanced attempt at history and at least it was skeptical of the conclusion that the colony failed because the Medieval Norse were "dumb".

I've watched listened to all of the podcasts, for some reason this is my favorite. It's so beautifully done and so interesting. Hope all who enjoy these amazing works support Mr. Coopers efforts.

Please keep making documentaries of this quality. We'll all support you. Absolute quality.

This series is extraordinary. A profound gift for narrative, expansive research and a beautiful eye for detail. thank you.

The visuals really are well done; I was worried these would detract from the excellent content but you’ve struck a good balance, finding visuals that help set the scene but don’t over do it or make it cartoonish.

This is a really moving piece of history, especially for me as a west coast Norwegian with close ties to the sea. I have always wondered what happend to the Greenland colony, and now i finally know. Thank you. My personal theory is a mix of several of the paths you mentioned: most i believe immigrated back to Iceland/Norway, but only the ones who had enough wealth to get their hands on a trusty ship to take on the journey, and others (probably the elders) stayed true too their Norse European culture & ways of living till their deaths, while others took upon the Inuit life of living, The possibility of them migrating to Vinland couldn't have been on any large scale, if that would have been the case we would have discovered some archaeological evidence of this. perhaps a small fleet of the "Frankenstein" ships set sail for Vinland, knowing that they wouldn't make it all the way to Norwegian territory, but at least a chance heading westwards. But again, that's just my theory, Thank you sooooo much for making this, something really different from my usual historical knowledge.

Refreshing to hear something so well written and clearly read. Paul's voice sings the poetry of disaster, painting the story in such detail, but at just the right distance to relay whole chapters of civilisation. The balance of research into primary and secondary sources, culture and environment, should remind the BBC of where they've recently lost their way. Paul never refers to himself. Watch and learn, BBC.

The most compelling and moving series I've ever seen.

And the truth shall set you free. This subject matter has filled a void, that most of us never learned in school. Great work.

I’ve relished every episode, but the camerawork alone renders this a piece of art. When added to the erudite and knowledgeable commentary and the stunning renditions of literature .. one of the best documentaries I have seen. In a genre of its own. Making lockdown into a bit of a treat while your film is running.

My paternal grandfather was born on the Westman Islands of Iceland, so I am the second generation born in the United States on that particular branch of the family tree. Recently my daughter and grand daughter had their DNA tested to see which parts of their ancestry were the most prevalent. I expected the Icelandic DNA to be strong, but the second most dominant was Eskimo. Imagine my surprise.

I can watch these over, and over, and over again and I always learn something new or hear something differently. Wonderful! Thank you!

What a fantastic series! It brings together historical fact and legend in a way which is both informative and enchanting. Thankyou!

Best documentary I've seen in a long time. Just got done reading a book on the Vikings didn't cover a third of what I just heard. 10 out of 10. Cheers

I fell asleep listening to this and had the coolest dream.

It’s a rare thing to find a narrative-style doc of this quality. His episode on Sumer is breathtaking

Absolutely excellent in all respects: narration,research, camera work, logical deduction,authenticity. Well done to all participants and thank you for sharing. Their life story dwarfs our little lockdown they lived it.

One of the most informative, aesthetically pleasing documentaries I have seen! Can't wait to watch more! Kudos!

This video came into my dream while I was sleeping. Hella crazy. I’m glad I came back to what I watched over the night. Because I just knew my dream was about this video

An excellent documentary. So comprehensive, so detailed, so very well composed. I watch each and every episode with so much appreciation. Thank you Paul Cooper for making and loading these videos.

I just discovered this channel today and I am HOOKED!!! Incredibly well done and very interesting! Thank you.

As usual, it was a convergence of several events and circumstances. Thank you for these video podcasts. Well done!

Every one of Cooper's podcasts are wonderfully illuminating. I love the details he provides and he brings us right into the moment or place he's describing. I look forward to watching and rewatching all these great historical documentaries.

In Denmark we still use the world "Skrælling" and it means a veak person and "Lief" is pronounced life and not leaf. Thank you for your great, detailed, documentaries.

I have very much enjoyed watching and listening to these instalments. Thank you, Paul and your team!

So happy I've found this series. It's fantastic. Thank you.

Everything about this documentary is perfect. I was captivated the whole time. 👏

Beautiful finish with the Norse poetry! These podcasts are nothing short of masterpieces.

I am lucky enough to have visited Greenland , Iceland , Norway, and Svalbard. This programme has made me even more grateful, and more aware of the links . I am Irish and know I have a history which links ..... I dont know quite how or when . Thank you for this illumination , and the memory jog !!

I thank you as a 68 year old history buff, I only yesterday found #8; Thank you for your efforts. This needs to be common knowledge.

Just wanted to say thanks for your work. It's nice to see someone that truly loves what they do. It very apparent that you are very thought full in what you do. I hope that others are able to see same, and follow.

My country of birth Sweden also had a large Population of Vikings. The sailed east to Russia and to Turkey. The Vikings such clever navigators. Thank you for an interesting video😊

Mr. Cooper, you are an awesome man. Greetings from Mexico, I love classical history, and your episodes are brilliant. I'm now 34 and can't afford a degree. But I should have studied history. You make my biggest regret in life seem not so bad. If I ever meet you, tacos are on me.

Binge watching thru all episodes from 1st. I only stumbled on this channel today and already 4 series done. I cant stop watching!

Just wanted to thank you so much for this. Not just the content, but this format. I struggle with podcasts, my eyes want something to do so I end up staring at something and thinking about that instead of listening 🙄 But this documentary style has enough relevant images (some mini Ken Burns vibes which do not hurt at all) etc to stop my wandering gaze and just let me enjoy. It must be a lot of work to go from audio only to this, and I appreciate it so much. Thank you thank you thank you!

This is my second sitting (in full) watching this. I still do not understand how anybody could dislike this amazing video, unless that person works for the history channel.

I'm part Apache and in many native american peoples there is talk and tells of white people here long before 1492

Fantastic, in depth historical information and the best presentation I have ever seen!!! Well done and thank you

Thank you so very much for all the hard work and dedication that goes into these fascinating tales. I truly have reclaimed my joy of learning through your channel.

All fantastic. Am son of Henry William Barnard of Orkney Scott/Norse heritage and me mum American Indian Mandan Dakota. Me Da knew much of what your lecture encompasses. I loved his oral history that he told me sitting on his lap as a wee one! Thank you for filling out the details!

Thank you so much for this. As someone with Scandinavian heritage and from Newfoundland, we know about the Vikings and L’Anse aux Meadows but rarely do we get such in-depth teaching about these interesting people. If you look at the Beothuck people of Newfoundland it is clear that there was definitely some Viking intermingling!

Absolutely fascinating and a wonderful, professional exposition. Thank you.

man I watch a ton of documentaries and few have been as enthralling as this. The images you manage to paint with such human details. Love it!!

That Inuit spear thrower was a boss! I say this as a proud descendant of Vikings.

High quality videos. Very informative and presented in a way that for non-historians is easy to follow.

This is an AMAZING channel! Thank you, I can't get enough of it!

I'm ashamed to say that your deeply fascinating documentary series has given me a rich understanding of the rise of many ancient civilisations. And almost no knowledge of what brought about their downfall. I will endeavour to re-watch them all during the day, so your honeyed voice does not lull me into a deep sleep 😊

Thank you for making these fantastic documentaries available to us. My family and I truly appreciate your efforts and enjoy them very much. ✌️

I really hope that this channel get's a few million subscribers fast. By far the best history channel I've ever seen. Talented and intelligent people did this and it shows. Thanks so much.

The ship shown at about the 22 minute mark is a longship whereas the Norse sailing to Greenland likely used knarrs. The knarr was better suited for long ocean voyages and could carry greater tonnage.

Wow, the landscapes. So beautiful. All these documentaries are absolutely brilliant.

So great, well-detailed, qualitative documentary. This the level where the worthiness begins. Very great respect to you!