New study: Norwegian Vikings were more barbaric than Danish Vikings
Norwegian Vikings possessed more weapons and sustained more weapon-related injuries than their Danish counterparts. “The risk of dying from violence was significantly higher in Norway than in Denmark,” researcher says.
“Violence was much more prevalent in Norwegian society during the Viking Age than in Denmark,” Professor Jan Bill at the University of Oslo tells the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK.
Bill is one of the researchers behind the new study, which is a collaboration between the University of Oslo, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and the University of South Florida in the USA.
The study examined Viking skeletons and graves from both Norway and Denmark.
More weapons in Norwegian graves
“Norwegian skeletons display numerous cut wounds. Far more Norwegian skeletons showed signs of cuts and blows compared to Danish ones,” says Bill.
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The differences are substantial. Over a third of the Norwegian skeletons show evidence of deadly violence, whereas only 6 per cent of the Danish skeletons do.
The quantity of weapons found in Norwegian Viking graves was significantly greater – fifty times more.
Norwegian and Danish Viking societies were different
The researchers highlight that this significant disparity stems from the distinctly different societies of Norwegian and Danish Vikings.
The Danes had a more organised society, with larger construction projects and specific societal roles.
“In Denmark, there was a greater emphasis on the interests of society,” says Bill.
Additionally, the Danes had more executions, indicating that their violence was more organised.
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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
Reference:
Bill et al. Violence as a lens to Viking societies: A comparison of Norway and Denmark, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, vol. 75, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaa.2024.101605
