Posted on 04/07/2005 12:46:37 AM PDT by nickcarraway
FAR from their marauding, pillaging stereotypes, Viking warriors were homemakers who couldn’t wait to ship their wives over to settle the lands they had conquered, new research reveals.
Scientists studying Scots of Viking ancestry in Shetland and Orkney have discovered that there must have been far more Viking women in the Dark Ages settlements than originally thought.
However, it appears that Viking wives refused to go deeper into Scotland, with little evidence they made it as far as the Western Isles.
Researchers from Oxford University took DNA samples from 500 residents of Shetland using a toothbrush to extract some of their saliva. The scientists were able to identify genetic traits in the Scots which they share with modern day Scandinavian populations.
By examining two elements of DNA, one that is passed from father to son and one passed down the female lineages, they could work out the gender balance of the original Viking populations. They could also compare it to results of other studies conducted in the Western Isles.
Dr Sara Goodacre, who conducted the research with colleagues from Oxford University, said: "We looked at the population of the Shetland and Orkney Islands and compared it to the source population of Scandinavia to show the migration patterns of men and women. Contrary perhaps to people’s image of Vikings, we did find evidence of a lot of females outside Scandinavia. Viking family groups were much more evident in such places as Orkney and Shetland.
"The genetic balance becomes much more male orientated the further away from Scandinavia you move to such places as the Western Isles. Colonial strongholds would have been more secure the closer to home they were."
The evidence has been disputed by archaeologists, but some experts say it could explain why the Norse language did not spread further west during the Viking occupation.
Dr Mary MacLeod, an archeologist who specialises on the Western Isles, said there was evidence from burial sites in the area of Viking female settlers.
She said: "There has been work on the Viking heritage of these islands which found a burial ground of people from Oslo fjords which included women as well as men. There has been more research conducted on the Viking legacy in Shetland and such places so more studies are required here."
Ian Tait, the assistant curator at Shetland Museum, added: "As 97 per cent of place names here are Scandinavian in origin they must have settled. Whether they killed or assimilated peacefully with the inhabitants remains a source of debate."
Alex Woolf, a lecturer at the University of St Andrews, said: "The way that the Norse language did not spread south of Mull and Ardnamurchan also backs up this DNA theory of Viking migration. In northern Scotland, Norse took hold, suggesting that male Vikings moved over with their families."
My own last name is apparently of Norman (Viking) origin. I spent a year in Iceland courtesy of Uncle Sam and I feel sure that the women in other lands paled in comparison to what the Vikings left at home. No wonder they would want their wives to come along as soon as possible.
Before someone mentions the beauties in other lands such as England and Scotland just remember that there is now a fairly high proportion of Viking genes in those populations.
"...It has been speculated, half seriously, that there are more foreigners here than at any time since the Vikings pillaged Ireland in the 9th century. (Laughter.) I guess I ought to warn you -- you know, whenever a delegation of Congressmen comes to Ireland they all claim to be Irish -- and in a certain way they all are -- but one of the members of the delegation here, Congressman Hoyer, who has been a great friend of the peace process, is in fact of Viking heritage, descent. (Laughter.) Stand up, Steny. (Applause.) Now, all the rest of us come here and pander to you and tell you we love Ireland because there is so much Irish blood running in our veins. He comes here and says he loves Ireland because there is so much of his blood running in your veins. (Laughter and applause.) ..." - Clinton talking about Hoyer's viking ancestry during a Sept 2, 1998 speech to Gateway employees in Ireland.
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Full Excavation Of Irish Viking Village?
Posted by blam
On News/Activism 10/20/2004 2:02:41 PM PDT · 31 replies · 641+ views
Discovery News | 10-19-2004 | Rossella Lorenzi
Full Excavation for Irish Viking Village? By Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News Oct. 19, 2004 ó Preliminary work to build a bypass road in an Irish village has yielded what could be the most significant piece of Viking history in Europe: a virtually intact town that some have already called Ireland's equivalent of Pompeii. Evidence for the ancient settlement was discovered last year by archaeologists testing areas ahead of road builders. Located near the banks of the river Suir at Woodstown, five miles from the city of Waterford, the potential Viking town lies below pasture fields commonly used for horse grazing....
'High Status' Viking Site Found (UK)
Posted by blam
On News/Activism 01/07/2005 11:18:48 AM PST · 17 replies · 693+ views
BBC | 1-7-2005
'High status' Viking site found A 10th Century Viking merchant's weight has been recovered Archaeologists in Cumbria say they have discovered what could be the country's most important Viking burial site. Experts are so excited about the find and its wealth of treasures, they are keeping its location a secret so they can work undisturbed. All that has been revealed is that it is near Barrow and contains artefacts dating back to the 10th Century. Another burial site has been uncovered in Cumbria, close to Cumwhitton village, near Carlisle. Both sites were found by metal detector enthusiasts. Barrow archaeologist, Steve...
History Unearthed (Viking Hoard)
Posted by blam
On News/Activism 12/03/2004 3:53:30 PM PST · 67 replies · 1,161+ views
Chester Chronicle | 12-3-2004
History unearthed Dec 3 2004 Chester Chronicle A HOARD of Viking jewellery has been found by a metal detector enthusiast in the Cheshire countryside. The finder, Steve Reynoldson from Keighley in West Yorkshire, made the discovery near Huxley on Sunday during a metal detecting rally which attracted almost 100 enthusiasts. Archaeologist Dan Garner, who works for Chester Archaeology, went to the site where he confirmed the booty of 20 silver arm bands was likely to date from the Viking period in the 10th century. Mr Garner said: 'Of the treasure-detected finds in the area, it has to be one of...
Norway's old cheese--Viking Viagra? (Norway)
Posted by franksolich
On News/Activism 03/28/2005 3:19:18 AM PST · 16 replies · 719+ views
Norway Post | March 27, 2005 | Janice Neider
Have you heard of Norway's Gamalost (Old Cheese)? It was originally made by the Vikings over 1000 years ago, who believed it had many medicinal properties.But we'll let Janice Nieder tell you what else she discovered:"Phewww! That stuff is nasty -- smells like my dog's bed, but my Grandpa loves it!" was a typical answer when I asked some teens in Balestand, Norway, if they ate Gamalost cheese.I had just heard about this cheese originally made by Vikings over 1000 years ago. They believed it had many medicinal properties and would nibble on it during long voyages to provide energy...
Revealed: The softer, caring side of the marauding Viking
Posted by nickcarraway
On News/Activism 04/07/2005 12:46:37 AM PDT · 9 replies · 361+ views
Scotsman | Thu 7 Apr 2005 | EDWARD BLACK
FAR from their marauding, pillaging stereotypes, Viking warriors were homemakers who couldnít wait to ship their wives over to settle the lands they had conquered, new research reveals. Scientists studying Scots of Viking ancestry in Shetland and Orkney have discovered that there must have been far more Viking women in the Dark Ages settlements than originally thought. However, it appears that Viking wives refused to go deeper into Scotland, with little evidence they made it as far as the Western Isles. Researchers from Oxford University took DNA samples from 500 residents of Shetland using a toothbrush to extract some of...
Treasure Found In Viking Market
Posted by blam
On News/Activism 02/02/2005 10:15:42 AM PST · 23 replies · 839+ views
BBC | 2-2-2005
Treasure found in Viking market A 10th Century Viking merchant's weight was recoveredArchaeologists believe what they originally thought was a Viking burial ground in Cumbria, may actually have been a 10th Century market. Excited experts unearthed a wealth of treasures at the site, near Barrow. They were particularly impressed with a merchant's weight, which is the size of a finger and shows a dragon design with two figures. But after a month of study, experts have moved away from an initial theory that the site was a burial ground. The dig has unearthed several more metal objects which indicate the...
Viking Map May Rewrite US History
Posted by blam
On News/Activism 11/26/2004 12:01:26 PM PST · 115 replies · 3,169+ views
ABC/AFP | 11-26-2004 | AFP
Viking map may rewrite US history AgenÁe France-Presse Friday, 26 November 2004 Experts are testing the map to see if it is really evidence for Vikings landing in the New World first, not Columbus (Image: Climate Monitoring & Diagnostics Lab) Danish experts will travel to the U.S. to study evidence that the Vikings landed in the New World five centuries before Columbus. A controversial parchment said to be the oldest map of America could, if authentic, support the theory that the Vikings arrived first. The map is said to date from 1434 and was found in 1957. Some people believe...
Viking sagas read through the lens of climate change
Posted by Squawk 8888
On News/Activism 03/10/2005 8:19:28 AM PST · 28 replies · 865+ views
EurekAlert | March 9, 2005
Ancient Icelandic sagas may be full of treachery, death and destruction, but the real villain behind all the foment could well have been climate change. According to a Canadian scientist, there's a direct link between changes in regional temperatures and the thematic content of the sagas. The research is based on newly reconstructed temperature records gained from ocean sediment cores collected off the coast of Vestfirdir, the northwest peninsula of Iceland by scientists from the University of Colorado. Analysis of mollusc shells within these cores has provided an astounding, almost weekly, record of temperature changes in the region. "The difficult...
VIking ship cracking up (Norway)
Posted by franksolich
On News/Activism 02/25/2005 12:31:47 PM PST · 119 replies · 1,817+ views
Aftenposten | February 25, 2005 | tr. Nina Berglund
Viking ship cracking upEperts are worried about one of Norway's national treasures. Archaeologists have discovered cracks in the hull of he famed Oseberg Viking ship, which may halt plans to move the vessel to a new museum.The archaeologists have been carefully going over the nearly 1,200-year-old ship, and are concerned about what they see, reports newspaper Aftenposten.Removal of the vessel's top deck has revealed some exciting new details, like graffiti from the Viking age and details of the ship's rigging. But it's also exposed cracks that make archaeologists worry the ship won't tolerate any move to new quarters.There have been...
I had heard that Viking men would make trips to Ireland specifically to steal pretty women to take back home.
Danish Archaeologists In Search Of Vikings In Iran
Posted by blam
On News/Activism 01/23/2005 3:35:39 PM PST · 26 replies · 694+ views
Payvand | 1-20-2005
1/20/05 Danish Archaeologists in Search of Vikings in Iran Tehran, Jan. 20 (Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency) -- Researchers from the Copenhagen Museum in Denmark have traveled to the coasts of the Caspian Sea, northern Iran, in search of clues of relationships between Iranians and Vikings. A few years ago, a researcher from the Copenhagen Museum, Nadia Haupt, discovered more than one thousand coins and relics that did not belong to the Danish or other Scandinavian cultures, and therefore set to find out more about the historical roots of the Danish civilization. The ancient items that took the attention of experts...
Vikings/Norse in Minnesota
Posted by DoloresCobbPhifer
On General/Chat 10/26/2004 10:34:20 AM PDT · 2 replies · 128+ views
freerepublic.com | 10/26/2004 | DoloresCobbPhifer
Did the Vikings Stay... Vatican Files May Offer Clues. / How did the Swedes end up in Minnesota?
Vikings/Norse in Minnesota
Posted by DoloresCobbPhifer
On General/Chat 10/26/2004 10:23:31 AM PDT · 9 replies · 165+ views
freerepublic.com | 10/26-2004 | DoloresCobbPhifer
Did the Vikings Stay... Vatican Files May Offer Clues. / How did the Swedes end up in Minnesota?
those last two, identical and posted by DoloresCobbPhifer, point to this:
Did the Vikings Stay? Vatican Files May Offer Clues
Source: The New York Times
Published: December 19, 2000 Author: WALTER GIBBS
Posted on 12/19/2000 05:26:52 PST by sarcasm
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a3f621c380f.htm
Quit braggin', you red-haired beauty.
*L* Men tell me anything, and I usually fall for it.
Nah, it's just that I'm so charming, unlike those other oafs. ;')
I spent several weeks in Denmark in 1981 and was astounded.
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