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Iceland was known before the Vikings settled there. It just wasn't, we believe, settled on by anybody before the Vikings, because it was thought that the island was too mountainous to support population.

Roman coins and wares have been found on Iceland, prompting ideas that the Romans may have settled there first. However there is no archaeological evidence of a Roman settlement on Iceland, therefore it is generally believed the Roman coins and other bits were taken to Iceland by the Vikings, since Roman coins were still in European circulation at the time of the Vikings.

A Gaelic Monastery run by Scottish monks was built on Iceland, however, before the Vikings settled there, furthering proof that the British Isles were aware of a larger land mass just above them. There was also an outpost built in a region now called Hafnir, which is believed to have been a British outpost before it was abandoned about 100 years before the Vikings settled there.

The Vikings first settled in Iceland in 874, when a collection of Norsemen sailed northwards to look for more lands, as they needed more to support their growing populations. An era called "Icelandic Age of Settlement".

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12y ago

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