#Nordic warriors mc full#
#Nordic warriors mc professional#

Stored with Bj 581 was also a femur belonging to another burial which was excluded. The skeleton was represented by bone elements from all body regions (S2). Here we present data including nuclear DNA and strontium isotopes of the individual. This made it important to further investigate the biological sex and to do additional analyses to explore the genetic affinity of the individual buried in Bj 581. The osteological analysis triggered questions concerning sex, gender and identity among Viking warriors.

Though some Viking women buried with weapons are known, a female warrior of this importance has never been determined and Viking scholars have been reluctant to acknowledge the agency of women with weapons (Hernæs, 1984 Moen, 2011) (S1). The existence of female warriors in Viking Age Scandinavia has been debated among scholars (Gardeła, 2013 Jesch, 1991 Jochens, 1996).

#Nordic warriors mc full#

Hence, the individual in Bj 581 was considered a male based on the assemblage of grave goods (Arbman, 1941 Gräslund, 1980), and the sex was only questioned after a full osteological and contextual analysis (Kjellström, 2016) that showed that the individual was a woman (S2 and S3). As suggested from the material and historical records (Jesch, 1991 Jochens, 1996), the male sex has been associated with the gender of a warrior identity. Furthermore, a full set of gaming pieces indicates knowledge of tactics and strategy (van Hamel, 1934 Whittaker, 2006), stressing the buried individual's role as a high‐ranking officer.

#Nordic warriors mc professional#

The grave goods include a sword, an axe, a spear, armour‐piercing arrows, a battle knife, two shields, and two horses, one mare and one stallion thus, the complete equipment of a professional warrior. Prominently placed on an elevated terrace between the town and a hillfort, the grave was in direct contact with Birka's garrison. One warrior grave, Bj 581, stands out as exceptionally well‐furnished and complete (Arbman, 1941 Thålin‐Bergman, 1986) (Figure (Figure2 2 and S1). The graves are distributed over large burial grounds encircling the town area. Over 3,000 graves are known, of which approximately 1,100 have been excavated, making it one of the largest known congregations of burials in the Viking world. One of the strongest features reflected through the archaeological remains is the extent and diversity of contacts and cultural influences from other places (Ambrosiani, 2012 Arbman, 1941 Hedenstierna‐Jonson, 2014), which is also reflected in the diverse burial practice (Gräslund, 1980). Map showing the location of Birka and grave Bj 581