title: Mitochondrial DNA variation in the Viking age population of Norway.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, 0130 Oslo, Norway maja.krzewinska@arklab.su.se.
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krzewińska
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Biology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0403 Oslo, Norway Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Gro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bjørnstad
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Pontus
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Skoglund
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, 751 24 Uppsala, Sweden Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Pall Isolfur
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Olason
authors.affiliation: Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, 0130 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bill
authors.affiliation: Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden Department of Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Götherström
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway erika.hagelberg@ibv.uio.no.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hagelberg
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000266:history; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D049691:History, Medieval; D063426:Human Migration / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009664:Norway; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014070:Tooth / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005819:Genetic Markers
keywords: Norway; Scandinavia; Vikings; ancient DNA; human mitochondrial DNA