Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway
The medieval Norsemen or Vikings had an important biological and cultural impact on many parts of Europe through raids, colonization and trade, from about AD 793 to 1066. To help understand the genetic affinities of the ancient Norsemen, and their genetic contribution to the gene pool of other Europ...
Published in: | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 2024-09-15T18:14:08+00:00 Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway Krzewińska, Maja Bjørnstad, Gro Skoglund, Pontus Olason, Pall Isolfur Bill, Jan Götherström, Anders Hagelberg, Erika 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 370, issue 1660, page 20130384 ISSN 0962-8436 1471-2970 journal-article 2015 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 2024-09-02T04:21:09Z The medieval Norsemen or Vikings had an important biological and cultural impact on many parts of Europe through raids, colonization and trade, from about AD 793 to 1066. To help understand the genetic affinities of the ancient Norsemen, and their genetic contribution to the gene pool of other Europeans, we analysed DNA markers in Late Iron Age skeletal remains from Norway. DNA was extracted from 80 individuals, and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms were detected by next-generation sequencing. The sequences of 45 ancient Norwegians were verified as genuine through the identification of damage patterns characteristic of ancient DNA. The ancient Norwegians were genetically similar to previously analysed ancient Icelanders, and to present-day Shetland and Orkney Islanders, Norwegians, Swedes, Scots, English, German and French. The Viking Age population had higher frequencies of K*, U*, V* and I* haplogroups than their modern counterparts, but a lower proportion of T* and H* haplogroups. Three individuals carried haplotypes that are rare in Norway today (U5b1b1, Hg A* and an uncommon variant of H*). Our combined analyses indicate that Norse women were important agents in the overseas expansion and settlement of the Vikings, and that women from the Orkneys and Western Isles contributed to the colonization of Iceland. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland The Royal Society Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 370 1660 20130384 |
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English |
description |
The medieval Norsemen or Vikings had an important biological and cultural impact on many parts of Europe through raids, colonization and trade, from about AD 793 to 1066. To help understand the genetic affinities of the ancient Norsemen, and their genetic contribution to the gene pool of other Europeans, we analysed DNA markers in Late Iron Age skeletal remains from Norway. DNA was extracted from 80 individuals, and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms were detected by next-generation sequencing. The sequences of 45 ancient Norwegians were verified as genuine through the identification of damage patterns characteristic of ancient DNA. The ancient Norwegians were genetically similar to previously analysed ancient Icelanders, and to present-day Shetland and Orkney Islanders, Norwegians, Swedes, Scots, English, German and French. The Viking Age population had higher frequencies of K*, U*, V* and I* haplogroups than their modern counterparts, but a lower proportion of T* and H* haplogroups. Three individuals carried haplotypes that are rare in Norway today (U5b1b1, Hg A* and an uncommon variant of H*). Our combined analyses indicate that Norse women were important agents in the overseas expansion and settlement of the Vikings, and that women from the Orkneys and Western Isles contributed to the colonization of Iceland. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Krzewińska, Maja Bjørnstad, Gro Skoglund, Pontus Olason, Pall Isolfur Bill, Jan Götherström, Anders Hagelberg, Erika |
spellingShingle |
Krzewińska, Maja Bjørnstad, Gro Skoglund, Pontus Olason, Pall Isolfur Bill, Jan Götherström, Anders Hagelberg, Erika Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway |
author_facet |
Krzewińska, Maja Bjørnstad, Gro Skoglund, Pontus Olason, Pall Isolfur Bill, Jan Götherström, Anders Hagelberg, Erika |
author_sort |
Krzewińska, Maja |
title |
Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway |
title_short |
Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway |
title_full |
Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway |
title_fullStr |
Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway |
title_sort |
mitochondrial dna variation in the viking age population of norway |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences volume 370, issue 1660, page 20130384 ISSN 0962-8436 1471-2970 |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0384 |
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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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370 |
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1660 |
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20130384 |
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