25-02-2025
Mighty Vikings battled severe diseases, reveals 10th-century skulls' study
Popular perception paints the Viking Age as one of heroic voyages and fierce battles, but recent findings expose a reality of widespread human suffering.
The discovery of Viking Age skeletons in Varnhem, Sweden, provides valuable insight into people's lives from that era.
A year ago, researchers revealed the shocking state of their dental health.
A new study from the University of Gothenburg delves even deeper, examining entire skulls using cutting-edge X-ray techniques.
Swedish Vikings were plagued by serious health issues, including oral, facial, joint, and infectious diseases.
"The results of the study provide a greater understanding of these people's health and well-being. Everyone knows what it's like to have pain somewhere, you can get quite desperate for help," said Carolina Bertilsson, study lead, and an assistant researcher at the University of Gothenburg.
"But back then, they didn't have the medical and dental care we do, or the kind of pain relief—and antibiotics—we now have. If you developed an infection, it could stick around for a long time," Bertilsson added.
Researchers used computed tomography (CT scans) to peer inside 12th-century skulls from Varnhem, Sweden, a site known for its extensive and well-preserved skeletal remains.
The skulls studied belonged to nine male and six female Vikings, all of whom were adults aged between 20 to 60 years at the time of their death.
CT scans allowed researchers to examine skeletal damage in Viking skulls precisely and generated 3D images that provided layer-by-layer information about bone abnormalities.
These 3D images pointed toward an array of diseases, which were hidden for centuries.
It revealed pathological bone growths, signs of chronic sinus and ear infections, debilitating osteoarthritis, and rampant dental problems. These were not isolated cases — every skull examined told a story of pain and suffering.
'There was much to look at. We found many signs of disease in these individuals. Exactly why we don't know. While we can't study the damage in the soft tissue because it's no longer there, we can see the traces left in the skeletal structures," added Bertilsson.
The Vikings were highly skilled seafarers who traveled long distances using their distinctive longships. Moreover, they were both feared raiders and ambitious explorers, reaching far-flung locations like North America, the Mediterranean, and Eastern Europe.
The findings suggest chronic pain was a common and significant aspect of Viking existence.
Back in 2005, excavation near Varnhem Abbey uncovered over 300 skeletal remains from the 10th-12th centuries, which prompted this study. Earlier dental records were partially analyzed, but this research conducted a detailed examination of the well-preserved skulls.
This research on Viking skulls using CT scans is said to be a pilot study. A key goal of this pilot was to determine if CT scans could be a valuable tool for future, larger-scale studies of ancient skeletal remains.
"Very many of today's archaeological methods are invasive, with the need to remove bone or other tissue for analysis. This way, we can keep the remains completely intact yet still extract a great deal of information," noted Bertilsson in the press release.
The study also involved archaeologists from the Västergötlands Museum.
The findings were published in the journal BDJ Open.
