≡ DNA Analysis Reveals Truth About Ancient Vikings ➤ Brain Berries

There is a stereotype that the Viking way of life consisted, for the most part, of epic battles and brutal raids on their neighbors, and that they were all gruff, muscular men with blond hair and blue eyes. But this is not the case. A recent large-scale genetic study published in the journal Nature shows that the Vikings were not as homogenous a group of people as had been believed. DNA analysis of remains from Viking burials suggests that these people often had roots outside of Scandinavia and were sometimes non-Scandinavian. The study also revealed new data on the travel destinations of the ancient Vikings.

Stereotypes about Vikings

The Vikings were said to be brave Scandinavian sailors, tall and blue-eyed beauties, who terrorized the coastal cities of Europe with their swift sailing ships. However, the aforementioned genetic study by an international group of scholars shows that this is nothing more than a silly old myth, and that “Viking” was more of a job description than a specific ethnic group.

How was it studied?

Scientists have deciphered the genomes of 442 men, women and children found in Viking burials in Greenland, Ukraine, Britain, Scandinavia, Poland and Russia. Additionally, the researchers analyzed data from 1,118 people who lived in the past and 3,855 people who are still alive today.

Who are the Vikings?

Research shows that the Vikings were not a homogenous group of people. In particular, this applies to their appearance. For example, dark-haired people were more common in Scandinavia than they are now. Scientists have not found Scandinavian DNA in Viking burials in Britain, but some remains buried in Scandinavia have Irish and Scottish markers. Additionally, many of the individuals buried in the Viking heritage turned out to be Sami, an indigenous people genetically closer to East Asians and Siberians than to Europeans. Based on the results, the scientists conclude that in ancient times, at least in some groups, the word “Viking” refers to occupation and not appearance or origin.

Where did they travel?

Genetic analysis has allowed scientists to trace the movement of ancient Vikings and their origins. They discovered that Sweden’s Vikings frequented the Baltic, Poland and the rivers of Ukraine and Russia, while Denmark’s Vikings visited England more. On the other hand, the Norwegians preferred the North Atlantic region, where they colonized Ireland, Iceland and Greenland.

Although scientists have found little evidence of genetic admixture between different individuals, some coastal cities are hotspots for genetic diversity. One of them was located in modern Denmark; The other two were on the islands of Gotland and Eland, which now belong to Sweden.

The genome of modern humans still preserves the heritage of the ancient Vikings. For example, 6% of Britons, 5% of Poles, 10% of Swedes and 12-15% of Norwegians have DNA. What does all this mean? Not much, in fact, even today, we are still slaves to centuries-old stereotypes and still have a lot of misconceptions to break.

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