Reconstruction of the skull of a Viking woman showed the cause of her death 1000 years ago

In 1900, at one of the Norwegian farms wasa viking skeleton was excavated, which rested on an ancient shield next to the twisted skeleton of a horse. The Viking, who lived around 900 AD, turned out to be a woman buried with her military tools - an ax, arrows, sword and spear. Scientists who analyzed the skull of a Viking woman 1000 years later, discovered a long scar of a sword, the blade of which pierced a warlike woman to the bones. What else can the warrior’s skeleton tell about and did she really die from the blow inflicted on her?

Reconstruction of the skull of a Viking woman showed a large wound, possibly resulting in the death of a warrior

What did the Vikings look like?

Vikings - the ancient naval wars that inhabitedmodern territories of the Scandinavian countries. Despite the fact that women in Scandinavia were forbidden to wear men's clothing, sometimes in the graves of just the weaker sex they find weapons that are characteristic of the burials of Viking men. The sagas telling about the life of ancient sailors really contain references to the so-called warrior virgins who have the right to fight the enemy on an equal footing with men. According to livescience.com, a portrait of one of these Scandinavian maidens was recreated by researchers from the University of Dundee in Scotland, who were able to present to the public a reconstruction of the appearance of a girl who might have died from a wound by an enemy sword. The found warrior was no more than 18-19 years old, and an analysis of her skull showed the presence of a swollen eye and a severe wound in the frontal part. At the same time, scientists believe that a head injury may not have been the ultimate cause of the warrior's death due to traces of wound healing.

See also: In Norway, the remains of a mysterious house where the Vikings were buried

According to the archaeologist Ella Al-Shamahi,regardless of whether the wound was fatal or not, the new reconstruction suggests that the skeleton found may be the first evidence found of a Viking woman with a battle injury that could destroy the centuries-old myth that Viking warriors were represented exclusively by men. This stereotype got its first blow back in 2017 when, as a result of DNA analysis, another skeleton was identified as female.

Scheme of ancient viking burials

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As in the first case, the woman found wasburied with many weapons and horses, as well as a set of chess pieces that indicate to researchers that the Viking has special tactical abilities commensurate with a senior military official. It is likely that the woman found was far from a simple soldier who fell in battle, but a real general and specialist in the field of tactical art.