Because Vikings were buried with their earthly possessions, their graves in both Ireland and England have given researchers information about their way of life. However, according to a recent journal article by Shane McLeod in Early Medieval Europe, warlike grave goods may have misled earlier researchers about the gender of Viking invaders.
The study looked at 14 Viking burials from the era, definable by the Norse grave goods found with them. By using skeletal materials to determine the sex of an individual it became clear that females were equal in number to the males during those early invasions.
Despite the remains of three swords being recovered from the site “all three burials that could be sexed osteologically were thought to be female, including one with a sword and shield, says the study. So it seems that the Vikings may have arrived in England as marriage-minded colonists rather than thieving villains as thought before.
The Viking way of life seems to be an unlimited source for storytelling. However, we might have to rethink the way we picture Vikings because a recent study shows that Viking women accompanied male Vikings in great numbers in the early invasions of East England.
Because Vikings were buried with their earthly possessions, their graves in both Ireland and England have given researchers information about their way of life. However, according to a recent journal article by Shane McLeod in Early Medieval Europe, warlike grave goods may have misled earlier researchers about the gender of Viking invaders.
The study looked at 14 Viking burials from the era, definable by the Norse grave goods found with them. By using skeletal materials to determine the sex of an individual it became clear that females were equal in number to the males during those early invasions.
Despite the remains of three swords being recovered from the site “all three burials that could be sexed osteologically were thought to be female, including one with a sword and shield, says the study. So it seems that the Vikings may have arrived in England as marriage-minded colonists rather than thieving villains as thought before.
