Cracking the Code: What Ancient DNA Analyses Tell Us About the Vikings

Artistic depiction of Vikings (Source: Connemara Archaeology)

 

Popular notions about the ancient Vikings conjure up a variety of ideas and imagery.  Vikings were raiders.  Vikings were strong.  The Vikings were blonde haired and blue eyed?  A series of ancient DNA studies are challenging that assumption, turning on its head some of the ideas that people cling to about the Vikings.  This blog post is going to explain further about what two ancient DNA studies have come up with about the genetic compositions of ancient Viking populations.

 

In 2020 and then later in 2023 two separate but related studies concerning ancient Viking DNA were published.  These drew upon ancient DNA analyses completed by a variety of researchers from populations who existed during the Viking Age (750-1050 CE).  Hundreds of individuals from Viking sites and contexts, spanning from across Europe, Iceland, and Russa, were surveyed, making these some of the most exhaustive ancient DNA studies ever to have been undertaken.  The wide geographical scope also covered the expanse of Viking settlements, save those that existed on the northeastern coast of North America. 

 

The researchers reached several conclusions after they exhaustively analyzed the ancient DNA results.  First, they concluded that the people who were first called Vikings came from pastoral populations in Asia.  Next, they found that the Viking people were later divided into three groups: those who resided in modern day Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.  These populations minimally interbred with each other.  They, however, interbred frequently with outsider groups, specifically among those groups they came in contact with through trade or raiding.  These areas and people were geographically close to each of the three groups, and each of the three groups did not trade or raid on another Viking groups’ territory.  The 2023 study found that there was significant gene flow from the Baltic regions and some from the area presently known as the United Kingdom. 

 

Taken together, these results demonstrate that the Vikings were not one homogenous (genetically similar) group but instead were genetically diverse, particularly when compared among the three groups.  Furthermore, Vikings did not look like the modern stereotype, which promotes the notion that they were largely blonde haired and blue eyed.  The vast majority of Vikings actually had dark features (eyes, hair, and possibly complexions), which is unlike modern Scandinavians who are often labeled the descendants of the ancient Vikings.  The researchers also noted that modern Scandinavians actually share very little genetically with these ancient groups.  Lastly, this gene flow came from women from outside the region coming into the Vikings homelands and interbreeding with them.  It is unclear if this was voluntary or involuntary migration.  There is at least one burial that shows a foreign (United Kingdom) woman holding high status within her community, so these individuals may have been provided the same opportunities and social status as native Vikings.

 

What is more interesting from an archaeo-historical perspective is what these results ultimately mean regarding how the Vikings defined themselves.  It appears that being Viking was less about biological similarities.  It may have been a social, economic, and/or political identity, making it an instrumental ethnic identity.  Additional research into the whole of Viking identity is on-going, and it will be interesting to see what more is learned, particularly in light of these genetic results.

 

Bibliography

Blakemore, E. (2020, September 16). Scientists raid DNA to explore Vikings’ genetic roots. National Geographic.

Margaryan, A., Lawson, D. J., Sikora, M., Racimo, F., Rasmussen, S., Moltke, I., ... & Willerslev, E.       (2020). Population genomics of the Viking world. Nature, 585(7825), 390-396.

Rodríguez-Varela, R., Moore, K. H., Ebenesersdóttir, S. S., Kilinc, G. M., Kjellström, A., Papmehl-Dufay, L., ... & Götherström, A. (2023). The genetic history of Scandinavia from the Roman Iron Age to the present. Cell, 186(1), 32-46.

Sullivan, W. (2023, January 10). Ancient DNA Reveals a Genetic History of the Viking Age. Smithsonian Magazine.

Urbanus, J. (2021, January/February). Largest Viking DNA Study. Archaeology Magazine.

Applied Anthropologist Profile: Dr. Rebecca Lester, Professor (Anthropology & Psychology) and Practicing Psychotherapist (LCSW)

Dr. Rebecca Lester (Source: Washington University)

 

As Dr. Rebecca Lester points out the disciplines of anthropology and psychology are distinctly different.  They share key aspects that enable them to be used complementarily in various types of study and work.  These connections are what drive Dr. Lester’s research and psychotherapy practices.  Both of these will be addressed further in this post.

 

Dr. Rebecca Lester attended the University of Florida, wherein she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a Psychology minor in 1991.  She planned continuing her studies, but she was also in love with both anthropology and psychology, leading her to be unsure of how best to proceed.  One of her professors suggested she combine her two interests and study psychological anthropology, which upon further investigation she ultimately decided to do.  Her doctoral research was completed in psychological anthropological research at the University of California-San Diego, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the same subject area at the University of Chicago.

 

In the early 2000s she landed a post as an Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is currently a Full Professor and Department Chair.  It was here that she continues her psychological anthropological research, which has largely focused on mental health, intersubjectivity (how relationships with others affect our perceptions of ourselves and others), and embodiment.  She has completed research in various subject areas, including eating disorders, dissociative identity disorders, gender, religion, and most recently on polyamory/consensual non-monogamy.  The common thread across all of her research projects is the role of culture on individuals (e.g., how cultural values and norms tied to health and beauty affect individuals who suffer from/live with eating disorders, a topic close to Dr. Lester’s heart since she suffered from anorexia as an adolescent).

 

In 2009 she completed her master’s in social work through the George Warren Brown School of Social Work through Washington University.  She opened her psychotherapy practice at that time, and she sees clients on various matters.  She advertises herself as being friendly to those who identify themselves as members of the LGBTQI+, polyamorous, and kink communities.  Her practice is a registered non-profit, and she sees and charges clients based on their financial means.

 

Regarding the intersections between anthropology and psychology Dr. Lester points out that while there are differences there are several similarities that make for a complementary relationship between the two disciplines.  Both disciplines seek to understand the differences in human experiences and how that can either foster or treat mental health problems.  Both also teach practitioners to maintain levels of empathy and understanding of the informant’s/client’s situation, although practitioners of both disciplines employ different methods in learning more about their subjects.  She notes that psychotherapists tend to focus more on the individual, whereas anthropologists tend to focus more on society and culture.  Both must be acknowledged and understood to fully understand what is going on with any individual person.  When it comes to psychotherapy this understanding can and does provide a more holistic understanding to treating the patient fully.

 

Works Cited

Lester, R. (2024). About. Retrieved from Rebecca J. Lester: Anthropologist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://rebeccalester.com/

Lester, R. J. (2020, May 15). Anthropology on the Couch: How this sister discipline can breathe new life into your practice. Psychology Today.

Lester, R. (n.d.). Rebecca Lester: Chair and Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology. Retrieved from Washington University in St. Louis Department of Anthropology: https://anthropology.wustl.edu/people/rebecca-lester

 

The Cat’s Out of the Bag: Newly Discovered Feline Geoglyph in Peru

Figure 1: Feline Geoglyph (Source: Johny Isla, Peru's Ministry of Culture)

 

Today’s blog post is a long overdue continuation of a topic briefly discussed in this post: the Nasca Lines, or the large scale geoglyphs produced on the hillsides and desert floor throughout southern Peru.  A newly discovered geoglyph of a feline has perplexed archaeologists, which will be discussed further herein.

 

The large scale geoglyphs known as the Nasca Lines were created by the Nasca culture.  The Nasca (100 B.C. to A.D. 700) developed from the preceding Paracas culture. Both cultural groups resided in the vast and dry Atacama Desert (of southern Peru), but the Nasca developed more advanced cultural developments compared to their predecessors.  The Nasca are best known for their polychrome pottery, which were black designs on red or white slips.  Various natural (plants and animals) and mythical entities were depicted on their pottery, and many of these latter designs were also prominent on their elaborate textiles.  The Nasca were accomplished agriculturalists who constructed intricate irrigation canals to sustain their agricultural exploits.  This is an important accomplishment as the Atacama Desert was and continues to be the world’s driest desert.  The Nasca resided in various residential centers on the flanks of the valley walls/hills, and they were organized as several chiefdoms that shared cultural characteristics in common.  This also enabled them to form alliances to work together as necessary.

 

The Nasca are popularly known for their geoglyphs, which received their namesake from their creators (the Nasca).  These were created by teams of individuals who would scape away the topsoil in the form of specific designs, revealing the lighter colored soil underneath in the form of the intended illustration.  These included geometric designs and various animals (e.g., monkeys, birds, insects, marine mammals, humans, etc.).  It is unclear what the specific purpose of these geoglyphs were, but there are several hypotheses, which include their use in rituals, as large scale maps to sacred sites, as a calendar, or potentially mapping underground waterways.  What is clear is that their creation required cooperation and leadership given the time and effort required to create the hundreds of currently identified geoglyphs.

 

New geoglyphs are being discovered often.  In 2020 a large feline geoglyph (Figure 1) was discovered as archaeologists were repairing an area where the public and scholars could view previously identified geoglyphs.  This geoglyph had previously been overlooked due to dirt and debris obscuring it.  Peru’s Ministry of Culture directed the feline geoglyph’s restoration, which is on a hillside.  The 121 foot long geoglyph has been minimally studied, and it is actually dated to the Paracas culture, not the Nasca.  This means that the Paracas may have been creating their own geoglyphs and influenced the later Nasca further than currently believed.  It will be interesting to see what comes next as further study of this feline geoglyph continues.

 

References

Leonard, B. (2021, January/February). Cat's Eye View. Archaeology Magazine, p. 1.

Mardon, A., Singh, J., Schuler, M., Bilal, H., Jean-Marie, N., George, M. E., . . . Raza, N. (2021). The Nazca Lines. Edmonton: Golden Meteorite Press.

Moseley, M. E. (1993). The Incas and Their Ancestors. New York: Thames and Hudson, Ltd.

Proulx, D. A. (2001). Ritual Uses of Trophy Heads in Ancient Nasca Society. In E. P. Benson, & A. G. Cook, Ritual Sacrifice in Ancient Peru (pp. 119-136). Austin: University of Texas Press.

Vaughn, K. (2005). Household Approaches to Ethnicity on the South Coast of Peru: The Domestic Architecture of Early Nasca Society. In R. M. Reycraft, Us and Them: Archaeology and Ethnicity in the Andes (pp. 86-103). Los Angeles: University of California.