They are infamous for terrorising the coastlines of Europe in their distinctive longships, but the Vikings may be able to claim another victory over their medieval neighbours.

New evidence has been uncovered that suggests the Vikings may have discovered North America nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus made his famous journey to the New World.

Scientists claim to have uncovered what they believe to be a Viking settlement on the Canadian island of Newfoundland that appears to have been built between 800AD and 1300AD.

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New evidence of a Viking settlement in North America has been unearthed in Newfoundland (a hearth where iron ore appears to have been roasted is pictured) which suggests the Scandinavians were the first Europeans to set foot in the New World around 500 years before Christopher Columbus

It is only the second known Viking site to be discovered in North America and helps to confirm that they were the first Europeans to reach the New World.

This new site, discovered in an area called Point Rosee in southern Newfoundland, is 400 miles (643km) south west of a Viking settlement found in L'Anse aux Meadows during the 1960s.

Archaeologists said the discovery potentially opens 'a new chapter' in history by showing the Vikings had explored far further into the New World than previously believed possible.

Dr Sarah Parcak, an archaeologist at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, explained: 'This new site could unravel more secrets about the Vikings, whether they were the first Europeans to 'occupy' briefly in North America and reveal that the Vikings dared to explore much further into the New World than we ever thought.

The new Viking settlement was found on the edge of Point Rosee in Newfoundland (illustrated above) 400 miles south of another site at L'Anse aux Meadows. They suggest that the Vikings' mastery of the seas allowed them to venture to North America (illustrated on the map)

The evidence is revealed in a BBC documentary The Vikings Uncovered, presented by Dan Snow (pictured left at Rosee Point) as he follows Dr Sarah Parcak (right) and her team's excavations in Newfoundland

The archaeologists scoured the coastlines of South Greenland (pictured) and Newfoundland in the hope of finding new Viking settlements

'Typically in archaeology, you only ever get to write a footnote in the history books, but what we seem to have at Point Rosee may be the beginning of an entirely new chapter.'

VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY 789AD Vikings begin their attacks on England 840AD Viking settlers found the city of Dublin in Ireland 844AD Vikings raid Seville but are repulsed 860AD Rus Vikings attack Constantinople 866AD York is captured by a Viking army 870AD Vikings colonise Iceland 981AD Erik the Red discovers Greenland 986AD Bjarni Herjolfsson sights North America after being blown off course 1002AD Leif Ericsson, son of Erik the Red, explores the coast of North America, named them Karland, Helluland and Vinland 1492AD Italian explorer Christopher Columbus lands in the New World when he stumbles across the islands now known as The Bahamas Advertisement

The Vikings are well known to have been adept seafarers, using the sun and the stars to help pick their way across open stretches of ocean away from the coastline.

It is thought the Vikings first discovered America by accident in the autumn of 986AD, according to one historical source, the Saga of the Greenlanders.

It tells how Bjarni Herjolfsson was stumbled across North America after being blown off course as he attempted to sail from Norway to Greenland, but he did not go ashore.

Inspired by his tales, however, another Viking Leif Ericsson then mounted his own expedition and found North America in 1002.

Finding it a fertile land, rich in grapes and berries, he named it Vinland.

Eriksson also named two further 'lands' on the North American coast - one with flat stones, which he called Helluland, and one that was flat and wooded, named Markland.

The discovery of the settlement at Point Rosee now helps to confirm that these legends were in fact true.

The settlement uncovered by Dr Parcak, who has been working with the BBC and a team of experts, was initially spotted using high resolution near infrared images taken by satellites.

Archaeologists found evidence of stones blackened by iron ore processing (pictured), something that the indigenous North American population were not thought to do. It suggests the buildings that stood at the site were inhabited by Vikings, who made extensive use of iron

The researchers discovered the site by looking for unusual patterns in satellite images that indicated the remains of man-made structures in Newfoundland (pictured)

Using infrared images (pictured) of the site, the archaeologists were able to see the outlines of what they believe were longhouses similar to those used by the Vikings

Over time the structures have altered the soil and the way it retains moisture, changing the vegetation that grow above, making it possible to see the outline of the structures in satellite images.

These helped them identify intriguing patterns in Point Rosee, which indicated there were some manmade features and the possible outline of a longhouse similar to those used by the Vikings.

During excavations of the site, the team uncovered evidence possible bog iron ore processing.

The settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows was the only other site where pre-Columbian iron processing has been found in North America.

Christopher Columbus is widely credited with having 'discovered' the New World in his 1492 expedition (depicted in the painting pictured), but a growing amount of evidence suggest that the Vikings beat him to North America by several hundred years

Point Rosee is a peninsula on the most south westerly tip of the island of Newfoundland (pictured). It provided a perfect location for the Vikings to set up an outpost, the archaeologists claim

Researchers found pieces of slag (pictured) in a hearth that they believe was used to roast iron ore prior to smelting it in a furnace at the site in Newfoundland, which suggests it was inhabited by Vikings

Archaeologists believe the existence of the hearth (pictured) used for iron working hundreds of miles away from any other known Viking sites is proof of how far the medieval warriors travelled

The archaeologists discovered around 28lbs of slag in a hearth that they believe was used to roast iron ore before it was smelted in a furnace.

Blackened stones, scorched by the extreme heat in this process, were also unearthed at the site.

While Inuits are thought to have used some iron from meteors, there is no other evidence of indigenous people processing iron.

The longhouse building they identified appears to have been built using turf, in much the same style as other Viking structures.

Black bands in the soil as the team excavated betrayed the presence of turf building blocks that had been used to construct a building.

Douglas Bolender said: 'Right now the simplest answer is that it looks like a small activity area maybe connected to a larger farm that's norse.

'If we were in Iceland we wouldn't think twice about that. But the thing that makes you pause and check every last little bit of it, is that it is in Newfoundland.'

If they are right, it means Rosee Point is the most westerly Viking outpost yet discovered.

Dr Bolender told National Geographic it could mean that the Viking sagas detailing journey's to what has been interpreted as North America are true rather than merely legends.

He said: 'We're looking here because of the sagas. Nobody would have ever found L'Anse aux Meadows if it weren't for the sagas. But, the flipside is that we have no idea how reliable they are.'

The remains of a Viking ship burial unearthed in Estonia also features in the BBC documentary (Dan Snow with some of the weapons and artefacts found there are pictured)

Smashed bones thought to have belonged to a Viking were found at a battlefield in Estonia (pictured)

Although the archaeologists leading the excavation are convinced the site was inhabited by Vikings, they say further work is needed to conclusively prove it was a Viking settlement.

Nonetheless, Professor Judith Jesch, director of Nottingham University's Centre for the Study of the Viking Age who was not involved in the discovery, described the find as 'exciting'.

She told the told The Telegraph that L'Anse aux Meadows may have been a way-centre as the Vikings ventured further south and that it is likely other sites may yet be unearthed.

She said: 'Finding Vikings in the United States is the Holy Grail for many people, not least because there are many Americans of Scandinavian descent who would like to think that they were following in the footsteps of their ancestors.

Skull fragments found at Portmahomack reveal the violence of Viking raids. One example had been smashed to pieces with a sword blow that left a deep gouge in the bone (pictured)

'But I don't think they made significant progress past New Brunswick, in Canada.'

The discovery is outlined in a one off 90 minute BBC documentary called Vikings Uncovered.

It will be aired on BBC One in the UK at 8.30pm (BST) Monday 4 April and will be streamed online on PBS at 3.30pm ET.

During the program, historian Dan Snow travels throughout the lands inhabited by the Vikings to explore just how far their influence spread.

Among the other discoveries outlined in the documentary are the remains of a battlefield in Estonia. Smashed bones were found alongside weapons and a Viking ship burial.

In Portmahomack in Easter Ross, in the Scottish Highlands, archaeologists have discovered evidence that a monastery there was utterly destroyed by a Viking raid.

The Vikings (a still from the TV series Vikings is pictured) were feared warriors who raided coastal settlements but also were great sailors, making long arduous journeys over open water, using the stars and the sun to navigate

Smashed sculptures were found with the ashes of the buildings of what hd been once a prosperous community.

Skull fragments found at the site – thought to have belonged to monks – reveal the violence of the attack.

Speaking about the find in Newfoundland, Mr Snow said: 'The Vikings Uncovered was one of the most exciting projects of my career.

'I was able to follow Dr Sarah Parcak and her team as they carried out pioneering research, using satellite imagery, in an attempt to unlock one of history's greatest mysteries.

'Were the Vikings really the first Europeans to settle North America? We know of one Viking site on the very northern tip of Newfoundland but was this part of a wider Viking territory?