Population genomics of the Viking world. ...

• Main Authors: Margaryan, Ashot, Lawson, Daniel J, Sikora, Martin, Racimo, Fernando, Rasmussen, Simon, Moltke, Ida, Cassidy, Lara M, Jørsboe, Emil, Ingason, Andrés, Pedersen, Mikkel W, Korneliussen, Thorfinn, Wilhelmson, Helene, Buś, Magdalena M, De Barros Damgaard, Peter, Martiniano, Rui, Renaud, Gabriel, Bhérer, Claude, Moreno-Mayar, J Víctor, Fotakis, Anna K, Allen, Marie, Allmäe, Raili, Molak, Martyna, Cappellini, Enrico, Scorrano, Gabriele, McColl, Hugh, Buzhilova, Alexandra, Fox, Allison, Albrechtsen, Anders, Schütz, Berit, Skar, Birgitte, Arcini, Caroline, Falys, Ceri, Jonson, Charlotte Hedenstierna, Błaszczyk, Dariusz, Pezhemsky, Denis, Turner-Walker, Gordon, Gestsdóttir, Hildur, Lundstrøm, Inge, Gustin, Ingrid, Mainland, Ingrid, Potekhina, Inna, Muntoni, Italo M, Cheng, Jade, Stenderup, Jesper, Ma, Jilong, Gibson, Julie, Peets, Jüri, Gustafsson, Jörgen, Iversen, Katrine H, Simpson, Linzi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2020
• Subjects: Alleles; Datasets as Topic; England; Evolution, Molecular; Gene Flow; Genetics, Population; Genome, Human; Genomics; Greenland; History, Medieval; Human Migration; Humans; Immunity; Ireland; Lactase; Male; Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; Selection, Genetic; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Young Adult; Iceland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.59566; https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/312473

The maritime expansion of Scandinavian populations during the Viking Age (about AD 750-1050) was a far-flung transformation in world history1,2. Here we sequenced the genomes of 442 humans from archaeological sites across Europe and Greenland (to a median depth of about 1×) to understand the global influence of this expansion. We find the Viking period involved gene flow into Scandinavia from the south and east. We observe genetic structure within Scandinavia, with diversity hotspots in the south and restricted gene flow within Scandinavia. We find evidence for a major influx of Danish ancestry into England; a Swedish influx into the Baltic; and Norwegian influx into Ireland, Iceland and Greenland. Additionally, we see substantial ancestry from elsewhere in Europe entering Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Our ancient DNA analysis also revealed that a Viking expedition included close family members. By comparing with modern populations, we find that pigmentation-associated loci have undergone strong ...