Archaeologists have identified evidence of traumatic injuries in 12 people whose remains were deposited in houses, pits, wells, and postholes across Iron and Viking Age Scandinavia.
asserted
remains → identify → Scandinavia
The individuals lived between approximately 500 BCE and 1050 CE, and their skeletal remains showed 19 injuries sustained before or around the time of death.
asserted
remains → live → death
According to research published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory titled ‘
Broken bodies in Domestic Spaces: Direct and Structural Violence in an Atypical Mortuary Dataset from Iron and Viking Age Scandinavia’, some people may have faced violence and social vulnerability during life before receiving unusual treatment after death.
uncertain
people → accord → death
How did researchers identify signs of violence in ancient Scandinavian remains
The study examined human remains recovered from domestic settings across southern and central Scandinavia.
asserted
study → identify → Scandinavia
These included skeletal fragments and well-preserved remains found beneath house floors, in pits, wells, postholes, and other settlement features.
asserted
These → include → pits
The researchers identified 19 traumatic injuries among 12 individuals from a wider dataset containing remains of an estimated 192 people across 197 depositional contexts.
asserted
researchers → identify → contexts
The injuries included sharp-force trauma, blunt-force trauma, and fractures.
asserted
injuries → include → trauma
Six individuals had head injuries, while seven had bone damage in other parts of the body.
asserted
seven → have → body
Four had multiple injuries.
asserted
Four → have → injuries
Eight, possibly nine, individuals showed evidence consistent with deliberate violence, although some injuries could have had other causes.
uncertain
injuries → show → causes
The researchers used osteological examination, digital imaging, genetic analysis, and radiocarbon dating to investigate the remains and assess the injuries.
asserted
researchers → use → injuries
PC: Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
What do skeletal injuries reveal about life in Iron Age communities
Several individuals showed evidence of repeated injuries or health problems that may have affected their lives.
uncertain
that → reveal → lives
One adult man had multiple injuries at different stages of healing, including fractures to his collarbone and forearm, alongside three blunt-force injuries to the forehead.
asserted
man → have → forehead
One individual had a forearm fracture that had not healed properly.
asserted
that → have → fracture
The injury may have occurred while trying to protect themselves during a violent encounter.
uncertain
injury → occur → encounter
Other remains showed dental problems, joint degeneration, spinal changes, and signs of physiological stress during childhood.
asserted
remains → show → childhood
Together, these findings point to potentially harsh living conditions, hazardous work, limited access to care, or repeated exposure to violence.
asserted
findings → point → violence
Human bones found in houses, wells, and pits point to unusual burial practices
The remains differed from conventional burials because they were frequently deposited as individual bones or fragmented body parts rather than complete bodies in cemeteries.
asserted
they → find → cemeteries
Some were placed beneath house floors, while others were found in wells, pits, and postholes.
asserted
others → place → wells
In several cases, the remains appeared to have been exposed to the elements before their final deposition.
asserted
remains → appear → deposition
One example involved a child aged two to four whose frontal bone showed evidence of sharp-force trauma around the time of death.
asserted
bone → involve → death
The bone was eventually placed between two floor layers inside a longhouse in Denmark.
asserted
bone → place → Denmark
The researchers also found evidence of injuries in remains deposited at Uppåkra in Sweden, an important centre of ritual and political activity.
asserted
researchers → find → activity
Researchers examine possible causes of violence in Iron Age communities
The study explored several possible explanations for the injuries, including warfare, domestic and interpersonal violence, and ritualised violence.
asserted
study → examine → warfare
Some injuries were consistent with weapons such as swords, spears or axes, while others may have resulted from attempts to defend against an attack.
uncertain
others → result → attack
In certain cases, the evidence could not establish whether an injury occurred during life or during the processing of a body after death.
uncertain
injury → establish → death
The researchers also considered structural violence, which refers to harm linked to social conditions and inequalities that restrict people's lives.
asserted
that → consider → lives
Signs of physical stress, repeated injuries and unusual burial treatment may indicate that some individuals experienced greater vulnerability than others.
uncertain
individuals → indicate → others
The Aporia
