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“The Vikings had a lot more genes from Southern and Eastern Europe than we anticipated. They frequently had children with people from other parts of the world. In fact, they also tend to be dark-haired rather than blond, which is otherwise consider an established Viking trait,” says Eske Willerslev…
However, the Viking’s diverse genome doesn’t just stem from people from elsewhere traveling to their settlements. In fact, they were avid travelers, and historically, we know them best for their plundering and murdering raids abroad. But this genetic study sheds new light on who went where.
“The Danish Vikings went to England, while the Swedish Vikings went to the Baltic, and the Norwegian Vikings went to Ireland, Iceland, and Greenland. However, the Vikings from these three ‘nations’ only very rarely mixed genetically. Perhaps they were enemies or perhaps there is some other valid explanation. We just don’t know…”
Shucks. There goes another movie role for blonde weightlifters.
Runes featuring Nordic names dating to the 9th century AD, in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. (National Museum of Denmark) https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/expeditions-and-raids/viking-graffiti/
Silver Coins Unearthed In Poland May Have Been A 9th-Century Ransom Payment To Viking Invaders https://allthatsinteresting.com/biskupiec-coins
Har!
Archaeologists Discover Two New Viking Ship Burials In Denmark — With Help From A 400-Year-Old Drawing https://allthatsinteresting.com/kalvestene-viking-ship-burials
Viking ship burials shrouded in mystery https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2021/05/20/viking-ship-burials-shrouded-in-mystery/
The Kalvestene: A reevaluation of the ship settings on the Danish island of Hjarnø https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15564894.2021.1900955?journalCode=uica20
Roughly a thousand years ago, a young man in his early 20s met a violent end in England. 800 kilometers (500 miles) away, in Denmark, an older man who had survived a lifetime of battles died sometime in his 50s. At first glance, there’s nothing to suggest a connection between them over such a distance. But according to a recent study of their DNA, the two men were second-degree relatives: half-siblings, uncle and nephew, or grandfather and grandson. https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/06/ancient-dna-finds-family-ties-between-viking-age-warriors/
From June 26, the pair of skeletons are to be publicly displayed at the National Museum in Copenhagen as part of an exhibition titled “Togtet,” Danish for “The Raid.” https://en.natmus.dk/museums-and-palaces/the-national-museum-of-denmark/exhibitions/join-the-vikings-on-raid/