Some LDS apologists are touting an archaeological excavation of a settlement at L'anse aux Meadow to try to draw a parallel between the mythical Nephite metallurgy and that of Vikings.
But that's not a legitimate parallel, notes an observer on the RfM message board who calls herself Elee (you can email her here):
The Viking settlement is considered to have been a temporary settlement, lasting only a few years. The reasoning behind this conclusion is that, aside from the building foundations, very few artifacts have actually been found at the site. Enough to show Viking/Norse occupation, but still very limited.
This settlement was used for likely less than 10 years and then abandoned. It is also likely to have housed fewer than 50 people at any given time (and that is a generous over-estimate).
Yet, given all that, the tiny human population and the fact that it's considered to have only been populated for a few years, archaeologists managed to FIND ACTUAL EVIDENCE of this tiny, miniscule settlement.
The Nephite civilization is reported to have been significantly larger and lasted centuries longer. Yet there is not one shred of evidence to support it.
For more information, see The Mormon Mirage 3rd Edition: A Former Member Looks at the Mormon Church Today(Zondervan, 2009). Also available as an audiobook and as an expanded-text E-book for Nook, Kindle and other reading devices.
