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| 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.
3 comments:
This blog talk about of the recent DNA studies on acient Viking.
With continued advances in DNA technology, it is likely that future studies will reveal even more about the genetic diversity and history. The blog could imagine what scientists could study next . For example, they could use DNA to find about how the Vikings got sick , what they ate, or how they move from place to place
By Matthieu Biembongo
I thought that this article on ancient Viking DNA was quite interesting. I always assumed that for the most part they were genetically similar. I also assumed that they had originated from somewhere in northern or central Europe before settling in the area now known as Scandinavia. It really surprised me to learn that they originated from somewhere in Asia.
By Derrik Pippert
This topic was very interesting to me. I am Asian, But I had thought on my own that people who are called Vikings are definitely not from Asia. But when I read this article, I was very surprised to read that they were Asian nomads. I was also surprised to learn that there are three groups of Vikings and that each group is not genetically similar to the others, and I had been looking at the Vikings as one group, so I was surprised to learn that different genetic characteristics.
By Ryota Haga
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