The composition of the founding population of Iceland: A new perspective from 3D analyses of basicranial shape.

The settlement of Iceland in the Viking Age has been the focus of much research, but the composition of the founding population remains the subject of debate. Some lines of evidence suggest that almost all the founding population were Scandinavian, while others indicate a mix of Scandinavians and people of Scottish and Irish ancestry. To explore this issue further, we used three-dimensional techniques to compare the basicrania of skeletons from archaeological sites in Iceland, Scandinavia, and the British Isles. Our analyses yielded two main results. One was that the founding population likely consisted of roughly equal numbers of Scandinavians and people from the British Isles. The other was that the immigrants who originated from the British Isles included individuals of southern British ancestry as well as individuals of Scottish and Irish ancestry. The first of these findings is consistent with the results of recent analyses of modern and ancient DNA, while the second is novel. Our study, therefore, strengthens the idea that the founding population was a mix of Scandinavians and people from the British Isles, but also raises a new possibility regarding the regions from which the settlers originated.

Population genomics of the Viking world.

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 population differentiation during the past millennium, and trace positively selected loci-including the lactase-persistence allele of LCT and alleles of ANKA that are associated with the immune response-in detail. We conclude that the Viking diaspora was characterized by substantial transregional engagement: distinct populations influenced the genomic makeup of different regions of Europe, and Scandinavia experienced increased contact with the rest of the continent.

Deciphering diet and monitoring movement: Multiple stable isotope analysis of the viking age settlement at Hofstaðir, Lake Mývatn, Iceland.

OBJECTIVES: A previous multi-isotope study of archaeological faunal samples from Skútustaðir, an early Viking age settlement on the southern shores of Lake Mývatn in north-east Iceland, demonstrated that there are clear differences in δ(34)S stable isotope values between animals deriving their dietary protein from terrestrial, freshwater, and marine reservoirs. The aim of this study was to use this information to more accurately determine the diet of humans excavated from a nearby late Viking age churchyard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: δ(13)C, δ(15)N, and δ(34)S analyses were undertaken on terrestrial animal (n = 39) and human (n = 46) bone collagen from Hofstaðir, a high-status Viking-period farmstead ∼10 km north-west of Skútustaðir. RESULTS: δ(34)S values for Hofstaðir herbivores were ∼6‰ higher relative to those from Skútustaðir (δ(34)S: 11.4 ± 2.3‰ versus 5.6 ± 2.8‰), while human δ(13)C, δ(15)N, and δ(34)S values were broad ranging (-20.2‰ to -17.3‰, 7.4‰ to 12.3‰, and 5.5‰ to 14.9‰, respectively). DISCUSSION: Results suggest that the baseline δ(34)S value for the Mývatn region is higher than previously predicted due to a possible sea-spray effect, but the massive deposition of Tanytarsus gracilentus (midges) (δ(34)S: -3.9‰) in the soil in the immediate vicinity of the lake is potentially lowering this value. Several terrestrial herbivores displayed higher bone collagen δ(34)S values than their contemporaries, suggesting trade and/or movement of animals to the region from coastal areas. Broad ranging δ(13)C, δ(15)N, and δ(34)S values for humans suggest the population were consuming varied diets, while outliers within the dataset could conceivably have been migrants to the area.

[Myeloma in an archaeological skeleton from Hofstadir in Mývatnssveit]. / Mergaexli í fornri beinagrind frá Hofstödum í Mývatnssveit.

Archaeological investigations have been ongoing in the cemetery at Hofstadir in Mývatnssveit since the summer of 1999. To date, the remains of two chapels as well as 78 skeletons have been excavated, dated to between the 11th and 15th century. A skeleton was excavated in the summer of 2003 which showed pathological changes indicative of a malignant disease. Palaeopathological cases of malignancies are very rare, and it is therefore important to report on each case. Skeleton HST-027 was a female, aged 45-50 years at the time of death. Standard osteological methods were used to determine the sex, age and stature. Macroscopic analysis was carried out on the skeleton and all pathological changes on each bone described. The cranium, ribs, left os coxa and all left long bones were then radiographed to aid in the diagnosis. The analysis showed lytic lesions in all the flat bones, as well as the vertebrae, ribs and the proximal end of the left femur, all changes indicative of multiple myeloma. Palaeopathologically myeloma and metastatic cancer (then usually due to breast cancer in the case of women) are often difficult to distinguish. However there is no new bone formation surrounding the lesions, which means that metastatic cancer is unlikely to be the cause. Skeleton HST-027 from Hofstadir is the first published case of malignant disease in Iceland, and one of the clearer cases of myeloma in an archaeological specimen, but to date, approximately twenty cases have been reported world-wide.