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Immigration to Scandinavia was exceptional during the Viking period

1 points by docmechanic 4y ago

docmechanic 4y ago
"A new study based on 297 ancient Scandinavian genomes analysed together with the genomic data of 16,638 present day Scandinavians resolve the complex relations between geography, ancestry, and gene flow in Scandinavia -- encompassing the Roman Age, the Viking Age and later periods. A surprising increase of variation during the Viking period indicates that gene flow into Scandinavia was especially intense during this period."
johndoe0815 4y ago
The article doesn’t seem to mention it, but I would assume that a lot of immigration happening during the Viking period was actually against the “immigrants’” will, i.e., the Vikings took captured enemies back home with them to work as slaves? Just a thought…
- ttyprintk 4y ago
  Whole books have been written about the distribution of silver dirhams peppering the medieval Viking and Anglo Saxon world. This was the supply side of the slave trade with the Middle East and southern Mediterranean until the Crusades.
- eesmith 4y ago
  The underlying paper at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.024 says: > Gene flow from the British-Irish Isles during this period seems to have had a lasting impact on the gene pool in most parts of Scandinavia. This is perhaps not surprising, given the extent of Norse activities in the British-Irish Isles, starting in the 8th century with recurrent raids and culminating in the 11th century North Sea Empire, the personal union that united the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and England. The circumstances and fate of people of British-Irish ancestry who arrived in Scandinavia at this time are likely to have been variable, ranging from the forced migration of slaves to the voluntary immigration of more high-ranking individuals such as Christian missionaries and monks. Also perhaps relevant: > the results shown in Figure 5 provide at least tentative evidence that gene flow into Scandinavia of eastern Baltic ancestry and, to a lesser extent, also British-Irish ancestry was female biased. This might be overseas Scandinavian males coming home with new wives. Or sex slaves/concubines. Or something else. Ask a historian.
  - johndoe0815 4y ago
    Thanks, this gives quite a bit more insight! I would have been surprised if the authors had failed to consider this...
rurban 4y ago
Immigration? Ha, they took abnormal amounts of slaves from Russia. This was not immigration. The recent movie The Northman covered a bit.

1 points by docmechanic 4y ago

"A new study based on 297 ancient Scandinavian genomes analysed together with the genomic data of 16,638 present day Scandinavians resolve the complex relations between geography, ancestry, and gene flow in Scandinavia -- encompassing the Roman Age, the Viking Age and later periods. A surprising increase of variation during the Viking period indicates that gene flow into Scandinavia was especially intense during this period."

johndoe0815 4y ago

The article doesn’t seem to mention it, but I would assume that a lot of immigration happening during the Viking period was actually against the “immigrants’” will, i.e., the Vikings took captured enemies back home with them to work as slaves? Just a thought…

ttyprintk 4y ago
Whole books have been written about the distribution of silver dirhams peppering the medieval Viking and Anglo Saxon world. This was the supply side of the slave trade with the Middle East and southern Mediterranean until the Crusades.
eesmith 4y ago
The underlying paper at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.024 says: > Gene flow from the British-Irish Isles during this period seems to have had a lasting impact on the gene pool in most parts of Scandinavia. This is perhaps not surprising, given the extent of Norse activities in the British-Irish Isles, starting in the 8th century with recurrent raids and culminating in the 11th century North Sea Empire, the personal union that united the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and England. The circumstances and fate of people of British-Irish ancestry who arrived in Scandinavia at this time are likely to have been variable, ranging from the forced migration of slaves to the voluntary immigration of more high-ranking individuals such as Christian missionaries and monks. Also perhaps relevant: > the results shown in Figure 5 provide at least tentative evidence that gene flow into Scandinavia of eastern Baltic ancestry and, to a lesser extent, also British-Irish ancestry was female biased. This might be overseas Scandinavian males coming home with new wives. Or sex slaves/concubines. Or something else. Ask a historian.
- johndoe0815 4y ago
  Thanks, this gives quite a bit more insight! I would have been surprised if the authors had failed to consider this...

rurban 4y ago

Immigration? Ha, they took abnormal amounts of slaves from Russia. This was not immigration. The recent movie The Northman covered a bit.