Mann makes the point that the majority of the victims of the plagues died without ever seeing a European. The germs spread from the coasts along tribal trade routes. They never knew what was killing them. So it is possible that L'Anse aux Meadows was so isolated that it did not come into contact with native-americans. Evidence for that comes from the fact that there are no remains of native-american around the site dating from the same time period but, even more to the point, models constructed by archaeologists show nothing resembling defenses.
What does not seem plausible is that a native-american group would have been so isolated that they would have had no contact with other groups. That simply does not match the model we see elsewhere.
I'm glad you brought up the Spanish. We have only the Conquistador's claims that they faced massive armies with a handful of troops. You know, like lots of military commanders, they could simply be full of shit.
What does not seem plausible is that a native-american group would have been so isolated that they would have had no contact with other groups. That simply does not match the model we see elsewhere.
I'm glad you brought up the Spanish. We have only the Conquistador's claims that they faced massive armies with a handful of troops. You know, like lots of military commanders, they could simply be full of shit.
