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No other ancient people
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have such a strong hold in
our imagination as the Vikings.
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But the truth about them is shrouded
in the mists of Dark Age Britain.
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In this series, I'll be
searching for evidence
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to unravel the story of the Vikings'
invasion and settlement of these islands.
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What really happened
when Vikings attacked?
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Were they only here to plunder?
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Or did some stay and
make Britain their home?
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To find the answers I'll be
investigating ancient monastic writing,
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the latest discoveries in
archaeology and genetics.
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We've commissioned a
nation-wide genetics survey
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to find out where in
the British Isles today
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the descendants of the Vikings live on.
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To start, I'm going in search
of the Vikings' hit-and-run raids
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and new evidence for
what accompanied them -
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death and destruction.
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For the first time, the saga
of the mighty Viking hordes
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who swept across the world
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breaking every commandment
of heaven and earth
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as they put an age to the torch.
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They enjoyed war, didn't they?
I mean, it was their thing.
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To a Viking there was no life
except life in battle.
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They were very violent people who were
into stabbing and raping... pillaging.
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There was no death
except death in battle.
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- Ugly, hairy brutes.
- Yes.
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There were no women except
women taken in battle.
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Monks kneeling down and getting
their hacked open with axes.
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Over the centuries, our
picture of the Vikings
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has become a sensational
mix of fact and fantasy.
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For example, the horned helmet.
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One of our most powerful
images of the Vikings,
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and yet archaeologists have never
found a single Viking helmet with horns.
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In fact, this is the only real
Viking helmet ever discovered.
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It was found in the Viking
homelands of southern Norway
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alongside the burnt remains of
its owner in a pagan burial mound.
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The Vikings have a powerful image.
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Daring and ambitious, certainly, but
also vicious, aggressive and barbaric.
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So what is the truth and
where is the evidence?
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To find out I need to go back
to the beginning of the story.
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To the late 700's.
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Britain has been revolutionized
by a new religion.
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But Christianity doesn't
simply mean a new faith,
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it's also brought literature and art.
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And by acquiring land, the Church has
become immensely rich and powerful.
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One of its most important and
sacred monasteries, Saint Cuthbert's,
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lies off the coast of Northumbria.
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Safe on the holy island of Lindisfarne.
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The year was 793.
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And here on holy island the monks of
Lindisfarne lived a peaceful existence.
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But all this was about
to be brutally shattered.
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The Vikings' raiding of
British and Irish monasteries
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was just beginning.
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"In us is fulfilled what
the prophet thus foretold:
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'From the North, evil breaks forth,
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'and a terrible glory
will come from the Lord.
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'And see, the pirate rage have
penetrated the north of our island.'"
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The attack was vicious
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and has gone down in history
as the start of the Viking Age.
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The feeling of the time is encapsulated
in this stone found here at Lindisfarne.
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On one side, a sun, a moon and a cross.
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The signs of the Day of Judgment.
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And on the other, what appears to be
a band of ferocious Viking warriors.
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All over Britain, people now lived
in fear of one of these attacks.
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But we only have one report
that was written at the time.
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The apocalyptic words of a
Northumbrian monk, Alcuin of York.
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"The pagans have
desecrated God's sanctuary,
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"shed the blood of
saints around the altar,
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"laid waste the house of our hope
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"and trampled on the bodies of the
saints like dung in the street."
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It's compelling stuff and lies at
the root of how we see the Vikings.
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But how reliable is it?
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What's interesting is
that when Alcuin wrote
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his gripping and bloody
account of Viking raids
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he wasn't even in Britain.
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He was hundreds of miles away in Aachen,
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safe at the court of
Christian Emperor Charlemagne,
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an archenemy of the pagan Vikings.
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And so when Alcuin wrote about them
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he'd probably already formed
his own very strong opinion
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about what the Vikings
were really like.
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Alcuin's writings may
have been highly political,
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but the only other accounts from England
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are in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.
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Written by monks nearly a century later.
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Details are often sparse.
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There's only one more
raid on England recorded
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during the 40 years that
followed the events of 793.
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But again, the attack on Lindisfarne
is painted in biblical terms.
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It's preceded by omens from the heavens,
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like whirlwinds and lightning,
followed by famine,
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and then... Vikings.
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It's no wonder we see
them in the way we do.
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Behind these accounts,
there surely lie real events.
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But how do I reach back to them?
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The best hint of a Viking raid from
the archaeological record in Britain
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is a discovery made
in Shetland in 1958.
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Underneath the floor
of an ancient church
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someone had buried this.
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A fabulous hoard of Pictish treasure -
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silver bowls and broaches
dating from Viking times.
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Some argue it was hidden
from Viking raiders.
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But no signs of pagan
destruction were ever found.
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No victims of murder.
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No real evidence to
pin this on the Vikings.
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Apart from the stories,
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evidence in Britain for Viking
raiding is desperately thin.
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Could Christian monks have
deliberately exaggerated what happened,
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perhaps to frighten their
flocks into repentance?
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So where can I look for
something more convincing?
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Within a few years,
Vikings would be sailing
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right around Britain into the Irish Sea
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where from the mid-800's onwards
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the Welsh Annals reported
a new and deadly threat.
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Here on the north Welsh coast,
according to records of the time,
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the locals were subjected to
repeated attacks by Vikings.
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But, for archaeologists,
the frustration has been
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finding any evidence for the
Vikings being here at all.
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That was until a few years ago
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when a metal detectorist turned up some
unusual objects in a corner of a field.
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At Llanbedrgoch, on Anglesey.
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In the actual field leaning on to this,
we found quite a rare coin.
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And there was a lot of interest
generated for it from the museum
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and we started finding
weights, lead weights...
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I didn't actually know
what they were at the time,
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so they were sent to the museum and
I was told that it was Viking weights,
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which sort of hit the jackpot.
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The lead weights that Archie had found
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were soon followed by
other Viking objects,
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including a collection of hacked silver,
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fragments of silver armbands.
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These were used by the Vikings
not as jewelry, but as currency.
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Bits were hacked off as required
and spent instead of coins.
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A major excavation is now
under way at Llanbedrgoch.
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It's run by archaeologist Mark Redknap
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from the National Museums
and Galleries of Wales.
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For years he's been on the lookout
for evidence of Viking activity.
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Could this new site shed any light
on he events reported in the Annals?
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As Mark's team excavate they uncover
the remains of an ancient wall.
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It's massive, over two meters thick,
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and encircles an area
a hundred meters across.
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The wall, together with its ditch,
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would have been a formidable
defensive structure.
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What threat were these people
defending against so close to the sea?
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Who were they afraid of?
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As the archaeologists
continue to excavate the ditch
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they make another discovery -
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something totally unexpected.
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The remains of five
skeletons start to emerge.
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The first to be discovered,
that of a young woman,
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is radiocarbon dated to some time
between the mid 700's and the late 900's.
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By this time Wales
had long been Christian
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but these burials don't conform
to any sort of Christian pattern.
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The local population would have normally
been buried in an east-west orientation.
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Here we've got
north-south, casual burial.
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No sense of laying out of the body
or ritual, exactly the opposite.
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And the impression you really
get when you look at these
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is that they were not
deposited in the ground
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by people who cared
for them or loved them.
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These are very casual burials.
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In the field we're getting
animal refuse, joints of meat,
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suggesting that they were
really just thrown out
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with the kitchen waste and offal,
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and then covered very unceremoniously
with large lumps of limestone
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which have been really
crashed down on the bodies
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to cover them with this
rather thick layer or rubble.
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So what sort of explanation
can you come up with for this?
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Well, there are a number of
options we should consider.
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One is that they died as a
result of some illness or plague
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and perhaps it wasn't possible to
accord them a normal Christian burial.
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You just want to dispose
of them, basically.
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Dispose of the dead in
an emergency situation.
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But, probably the favoured option,
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is that these are the victims
of some other cause of death,
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perhaps violent death.
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We know that the Annals record
first Viking attacks on Wales in 855.
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We have a recorded attack on Anglesey.
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I think I can see what
you're getting at here.
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Do you think these are
victims of Vikings, then?
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Well, I hope that during the course
of the exposure of these bodies,
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that we can accumulate enough data
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to actually come to a reasoned, rational
argument as to the cause of death.
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It's gonna be great
to see these emerge.
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I was hoping that you
were offer to do that.
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I'd love to.
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- I brought my trowel with me so...
- Excellent.
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It looks like it's a male...
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It soon becomes clear
that there are the remains
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of two men, a woman and two children.
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But how did they die?
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As the bones are fully uncovered,
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we discover the first unsettling hints
that violence might have been involved.
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One thing that does show
up very clearly now, though,
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is the odd position
that that one's lying in.
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'Cause it's lying partly
on the left side, isn't it?
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With the head to that side...
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- Shall I move this one?
- Yes.
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That one's like that.
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00:13:13,801 --> 00:13:16,236
What about my arms, though,
where are they?
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This arm is really straight
back behind like that,
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and this one you have to tuck under.
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So that one's right under the...
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Well it's incredibly uncomfortable.
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But do you think that
that suggest that this body
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might have had its arms
tied behind its back?
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I don't think we can rule that out.
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00:13:36,102 --> 00:13:38,871
Both males look as
though they were tied up.
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00:13:38,906 --> 00:13:42,038
So it seems unlikely that
their deaths were peaceful.
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00:13:42,073 --> 00:13:47,386
Were they locals, captured, slaughtered
and disposed of by pagan Vikings?
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00:13:47,421 --> 00:13:50,566
Or could anyone else have
buried them in this way?
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00:13:54,634 --> 00:13:59,084
Six months later radiocarbon dates
on all of the skeletons were in,
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00:13:59,119 --> 00:14:01,603
they'd narrowed down the
likely date of the deaths
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00:14:01,638 --> 00:14:04,165
to the second half of the 10th century,
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00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,978
still a period when
Viking raids were common.
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00:14:07,013 --> 00:14:11,168
So, what's Mark's best theory
about what really happened?
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00:14:13,039 --> 00:14:15,677
Looking at the circumstances of burial,
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the evidence there seems to suggest
that they were not buried by...
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00:14:19,126 --> 00:14:21,098
the native population.
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And I think the candidates that
best fit the bill are, of course,
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Viking raiders of this time.
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And there seems little doubt that the
adult males were likely to be captives,
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and perhaps we have,
with these five burials,
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the after remains of the
victims of a Viking raid.
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England, Scotland and Wales
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00:14:55,219 --> 00:14:59,088
seem to have little more to offer in
terms of evidence for Viking raids.
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So, can I do any better on the
other side of the Irish Sea?
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The coast of Ireland was
reputedly a hotbed of raiding.
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And Irish monks recorded the
activities of the Vikings at the time.
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Professor Donnchadh O Corráin
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is the world's leading
authority on the Irish Annals.
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I think people tend to overlook
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the enormous amount of detail in the
Irish Annals about the Viking wars.
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And this detail concerns
not just Ireland,
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it concerns Scotland
and England as well.
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00:15:29,283 --> 00:15:32,312
In comparison to the
writings of English monks,
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the Irish Annals tend to
take a more sober view.
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They don't squeal, and
they don't blame their sins,
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they don't say this is God's vengeance
on them for their evil living.
238
00:15:46,575 --> 00:15:47,815
They take it...
239
00:15:47,850 --> 00:15:51,094
very deadpan,
very realistically.
240
00:15:51,129 --> 00:15:53,367
That's life. So what?
241
00:15:54,786 --> 00:15:58,469
The first Viking attacks are reported
quite simply by the Irish,
242
00:15:58,504 --> 00:16:00,757
without any mention of omens.
243
00:16:02,315 --> 00:16:07,684
"794. Devastation of all the
islands of Britain by heathens."
244
00:16:07,719 --> 00:16:10,139
And this was soon followed by...
245
00:16:10,174 --> 00:16:15,227
"798. The burning of St.
Patrick's Isle by the heathens.
246
00:16:15,262 --> 00:16:19,744
"And they took the cattle tribute
and broke the shrine of Dachonna."
247
00:16:21,154 --> 00:16:23,393
In their
matter-of-fact way,
248
00:16:23,428 --> 00:16:27,195
the Irish Annals record a
story of incredible violence.
249
00:16:29,310 --> 00:16:32,211
In the 40 years following Lindisfarne,
250
00:16:32,246 --> 00:16:34,735
while just one raid
is reported in England,
251
00:16:34,770 --> 00:16:37,512
there are more than 30 in Ireland.
252
00:16:37,547 --> 00:16:41,477
Could this onslaught have
happened without leaving any trace?
253
00:16:44,134 --> 00:16:48,875
Archaeologist Dr John Sheehan believes
that a clue may lie under ground.
254
00:16:48,910 --> 00:16:51,025
Thousands of tunnels or souterrains
255
00:16:51,060 --> 00:16:54,104
have been found in ancient
settlements throughout Ireland.
256
00:16:54,139 --> 00:16:57,262
They've always been thought
to be for underground storage,
257
00:16:57,297 --> 00:16:59,463
but a fragment of
timber from one of them
258
00:16:59,498 --> 00:17:02,725
has recently been dated to
the time of the Viking attacks,
259
00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,957
and John now believes they had
a radically different purpose.
260
00:17:08,793 --> 00:17:11,894
So, do you think that these were
places where people hid from Vikings?
261
00:17:11,929 --> 00:17:13,553
I do. Absolutely.
262
00:17:13,588 --> 00:17:17,034
Because any Viking who wants
to follow people down here
263
00:17:17,069 --> 00:17:21,240
has to crawl head-first
along a very narrow chamber
264
00:17:21,275 --> 00:17:25,542
and finally, then, come up
through the floor of this chamber.
265
00:17:25,577 --> 00:17:29,400
And even a child sitting here
with a rock or a pointed stick
266
00:17:29,435 --> 00:17:32,732
could render that
Viking out for the count.
267
00:17:32,767 --> 00:17:34,966
So it was a very easy place to defend.
268
00:17:35,001 --> 00:17:37,547
And you could fit maybe twelve
to fifteen people in here.
269
00:17:37,582 --> 00:17:40,315
Yes, I was quite surprised
at how big this chamber is.
270
00:17:40,350 --> 00:17:42,347
I cannot imagine what
it would be like though,
271
00:17:42,382 --> 00:17:44,925
huddled in here in the dark knowing that
272
00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:48,700
there were marauding Vikings rampaging
around inside your settlement.
273
00:17:48,735 --> 00:17:51,930
I'd say it would be scary enough,
I mean, you might hear sounds,
274
00:17:51,965 --> 00:17:53,886
although we are at the
very end of the souterrain,
275
00:17:53,921 --> 00:17:55,512
which might probably
be fairly sound-proof,
276
00:17:55,547 --> 00:17:59,412
but you might hear sounds,
or smell burning going on, perhaps.
277
00:17:59,447 --> 00:18:02,486
But, in general, you'd probably
feel reasonably safe
278
00:18:02,521 --> 00:18:05,748
because you'd know, that apart
from digging out the souterrain,
279
00:18:05,783 --> 00:18:09,759
the only way they could take you
was to come down that passage,
280
00:18:09,794 --> 00:18:11,712
and you'd have them at your mercy.
281
00:18:12,930 --> 00:18:16,237
In Ireland there are
accounts of attacks on Britain
282
00:18:16,272 --> 00:18:18,635
that aren't documented anywhere else.
283
00:18:18,670 --> 00:18:21,817
For instance, the monastery
on the Hebridean island of Iona
284
00:18:21,852 --> 00:18:23,628
suffered a number of raids,
285
00:18:23,663 --> 00:18:27,458
including a particularly
vicious one in 825.
286
00:18:33,077 --> 00:18:36,064
Hearing of an impending
landing by Vikings,
287
00:18:36,099 --> 00:18:39,433
the monks rushed to bury the
sacred shrine of St Columba.
288
00:18:39,468 --> 00:18:41,524
The Vikings were after it.
289
00:18:41,559 --> 00:18:45,120
But the monks refused to reveal
its hiding place to heathens
290
00:18:45,155 --> 00:18:47,898
and were brutally martyred.
291
00:18:50,410 --> 00:18:56,050
But can we ever know the full
extent of the Vikings' first attacks?
292
00:18:56,085 --> 00:19:01,187
If Ireland's experience was like the
experience of Scotland and England,
293
00:19:01,222 --> 00:19:04,394
then there are a very
large number of raids
294
00:19:04,429 --> 00:19:09,126
on English monasteries and churches,
and Scottish monasteries and churches
295
00:19:09,161 --> 00:19:10,956
that have not been recorded.
296
00:19:10,991 --> 00:19:16,052
It is impossible that the Vikings
could be on the rampage in Britain
297
00:19:16,087 --> 00:19:19,324
and not do the same things
as they did in Ireland.
298
00:19:24,790 --> 00:19:28,438
Feeling that I've exhausted all
my leads in Britain and Ireland
299
00:19:28,473 --> 00:19:31,908
I'm turning to the homeland of
the perpetrators for evidence.
300
00:19:32,598 --> 00:19:36,001
The Vikings came from
all over Scandinavia,
301
00:19:36,036 --> 00:19:38,102
but the early attacks
on Britain and Ireland
302
00:19:38,137 --> 00:19:41,556
were probably launched
from somewhere in Norway.
303
00:19:45,175 --> 00:19:50,146
It's hard to imagine but, 1200
years ago, this little bay was full,
304
00:19:50,181 --> 00:19:52,625
not of pleasure boats,
but of Viking ships.
305
00:19:52,660 --> 00:19:55,147
Because all the way along
the edge of the water there,
306
00:19:55,182 --> 00:19:57,872
stretched the Viking port of Kaupang.
307
00:19:59,621 --> 00:20:02,246
Kaupang is now the site
of one of the biggest
308
00:20:02,281 --> 00:20:05,128
Viking-Age excavations in Scandinavia.
309
00:20:05,163 --> 00:20:08,698
It grew up at the time
of the early Viking raids
310
00:20:08,733 --> 00:20:11,529
and developed into a
major trading centre.
311
00:20:11,564 --> 00:20:14,557
Perhaps the first Viking town.
312
00:20:16,423 --> 00:20:18,735
Because of the site's importance,
313
00:20:18,770 --> 00:20:23,042
every grain of soil is being sift
for clues about life in the town.
314
00:20:23,077 --> 00:20:26,122
But, is there any evidence
here for the raids?
315
00:20:27,084 --> 00:20:31,127
In one of the plots, they
found a die for making a broach.
316
00:20:31,162 --> 00:20:34,499
A crucible for melting gold.
317
00:20:35,304 --> 00:20:37,943
Glass beads and offcuts.
318
00:20:40,704 --> 00:20:43,742
Weights and pieces of jet.
319
00:20:47,391 --> 00:20:50,749
All the signs of trade,
industry and wealth.
320
00:20:50,784 --> 00:20:54,385
But one piece tells
a more dramatic story.
321
00:20:55,819 --> 00:21:00,022
We have this book decoration.
322
00:21:00,057 --> 00:21:02,683
It's in silver with gold.
323
00:21:03,767 --> 00:21:06,376
And you can see, on the back side,
324
00:21:06,411 --> 00:21:09,205
it's connected to something
that it's very, very thin.
325
00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,497
Right, it's sort of been
riveted through, hasn't it?
326
00:21:11,532 --> 00:21:12,217
Yes.
327
00:21:12,252 --> 00:21:15,689
Those kind of things were
attached to ecclesiastical books.
328
00:21:15,724 --> 00:21:19,852
So, this one was probably ripped
off the book by some Viking
329
00:21:19,887 --> 00:21:23,555
raiding a monastery or a church
and then brought back here.
330
00:21:24,109 --> 00:21:25,689
So, it's loot.
331
00:21:25,724 --> 00:21:29,229
That really is, absolute,
classic loot, isn't it?
332
00:21:29,264 --> 00:21:32,958
That's what you'd expect to find, at
least I would, at a site like this.
333
00:21:32,993 --> 00:21:36,321
Something the Vikings had simply
pinched and brought back here.
334
00:21:41,083 --> 00:21:44,832
The design tells us that this
latest find came from the continent
335
00:21:44,867 --> 00:21:47,429
from the Christian
empire of Charlemagne.
336
00:21:47,464 --> 00:21:51,728
But discoveries have also been made
of mounts from Britain and Ireland.
337
00:21:53,524 --> 00:21:57,041
Over the last century, hundreds
of Viking graves have been found
338
00:21:57,076 --> 00:21:58,903
scattered over the whole of Norway.
339
00:21:58,938 --> 00:22:02,912
And in many of them, amongst the
jewelry and weapons of a pagan people,
340
00:22:02,947 --> 00:22:04,952
lay Christian treasures.
341
00:22:07,782 --> 00:22:12,601
A reliquary that once contained
sacred bones of a saint.
342
00:22:19,779 --> 00:22:22,415
Part of an abbot's crozier.
343
00:22:24,495 --> 00:22:28,043
And dozens of gilt
mounts from holy books.
344
00:22:34,688 --> 00:22:37,164
What would the monks have thought?
345
00:22:37,199 --> 00:22:40,762
Their sacred artwork,
created to adorn holy objects,
346
00:22:40,797 --> 00:22:45,235
had ended up accompanying
Vikings to a pagan afterlife.
347
00:22:45,270 --> 00:22:48,523
These objects are the best
evidence for Viking raids
348
00:22:48,558 --> 00:22:50,530
that archaeology can provide.
349
00:22:50,565 --> 00:22:55,043
In fact, they're the nearest we can
get to catching the Vikings red-handed.
350
00:23:01,351 --> 00:23:03,993
But in order to understand the raids
351
00:23:04,028 --> 00:23:07,255
I need a better idea of
who the Vikings really were.
352
00:23:08,167 --> 00:23:12,588
My problem is that the first
Vikings left no written records.
353
00:23:12,623 --> 00:23:17,312
But luckily the archaeological
evidence is truly spectacular.
354
00:23:19,524 --> 00:23:23,674
The most dramatic find of
all was made back in 1904.
355
00:23:23,709 --> 00:23:26,031
At Oseberg, in southern Norway,
356
00:23:26,066 --> 00:23:28,150
an entire Viking ship had been preserved
357
00:23:28,185 --> 00:23:31,322
in the clay of a massive
pagan burial mound.
358
00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:44,038
By dating tree-rings in its planks
we know it was built around 820,
359
00:23:44,073 --> 00:23:47,274
making it the earliest
known Viking ship.
360
00:23:49,849 --> 00:23:52,280
The find tells us how
these people of the sea
361
00:23:52,315 --> 00:23:56,110
were able to combine the
power of both oar and sail.
362
00:23:56,145 --> 00:24:00,711
An innovation that gave them a
huge advantage over their rivals.
363
00:24:03,754 --> 00:24:06,388
To me, it's little short of a miracle
364
00:24:06,423 --> 00:24:09,187
that all this wood has
survived, and for so long.
365
00:24:09,222 --> 00:24:10,521
If ever we needed evidence
366
00:24:10,556 --> 00:24:13,681
of the skill of the Viking
ship-builders, then it's here.
367
00:24:13,716 --> 00:24:17,309
But there's more. The ship
itself isn't all that survived.
368
00:24:17,344 --> 00:24:21,053
It was full of wonderful objects
that show us life in the Viking world
369
00:24:21,088 --> 00:24:23,268
and at the very highest level.
370
00:24:24,336 --> 00:24:26,679
Much more than just a ship,
371
00:24:26,714 --> 00:24:29,980
it's the Viking equivalent
of the tombs of the pharaohs,
372
00:24:30,015 --> 00:24:33,116
the treasure trove of a Viking queen.
373
00:24:34,775 --> 00:24:38,760
Clearly she had a taste
for the finer things.
374
00:24:40,580 --> 00:24:43,294
And there's something really rare -
375
00:24:43,329 --> 00:24:47,586
images of Vikings as
they saw themselves.
376
00:24:51,237 --> 00:24:55,786
Also discovered in the burial
was a richly decorated wall hanging.
377
00:24:55,821 --> 00:24:58,453
The fragile material has now faded
378
00:24:58,488 --> 00:25:02,042
but a painting made during
conservation shows the scene -
379
00:25:02,077 --> 00:25:06,207
a grand procession, possibly
of a religious nature.
380
00:25:06,242 --> 00:25:08,744
It's an image of an ordered society,
381
00:25:08,779 --> 00:25:12,792
of a people who were also
technologically advanced.
382
00:25:16,667 --> 00:25:20,253
But the ship from Oseberg
was just the beginning.
383
00:25:21,798 --> 00:25:24,591
Another was discovered nearby
384
00:25:24,626 --> 00:25:27,111
in a burial mound at Gokstad.
385
00:25:28,565 --> 00:25:32,533
Built several years later,
it's less ornate than the Oseberg,
386
00:25:32,568 --> 00:25:34,949
but highly streamlined.
387
00:25:35,857 --> 00:25:40,589
A warship, better designed for
crossing oceans and landing on beaches.
388
00:25:40,624 --> 00:25:45,682
The most advanced ship of its day,
the Viking secret weapon.
389
00:25:45,717 --> 00:25:48,308
I know how I'd feel
if I stood on the shore
390
00:25:48,343 --> 00:25:50,566
and saw a whole fleet
of these approaching,
391
00:25:50,601 --> 00:25:54,484
fully rigged, hung with
shields and crewed by Vikings.
392
00:25:54,519 --> 00:25:57,128
I'd be absolutely terrified.
393
00:26:00,869 --> 00:26:03,372
But even though they had the technology,
394
00:26:03,407 --> 00:26:07,565
crossing the unpredictable North Sea
to Britain was a very risky undertaking.
395
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,274
What drove the Vikings to do it?
396
00:26:10,309 --> 00:26:12,199
Were they simply reckless thugs?
397
00:26:12,234 --> 00:26:14,459
Or was there a deeper reason?
398
00:26:19,042 --> 00:26:22,699
It's easy to imagine how
they became such good sailors,
399
00:26:22,734 --> 00:26:26,486
because the first raiders probably
came from the fjords of western Norway,
400
00:26:26,521 --> 00:26:29,843
where traveling by water is
the only way to get around.
401
00:26:29,878 --> 00:26:32,618
But building just one
ocean-going Viking ship
402
00:26:32,653 --> 00:26:37,008
would have taken huge amounts of
oak, wool for the sails and labour,
403
00:26:37,043 --> 00:26:40,567
resources only available
to the wealthiest chieftains.
404
00:26:40,602 --> 00:26:44,260
So, maybe the raids were
driven by the powerful.
405
00:26:44,295 --> 00:26:47,775
Could there have been a
political motivation behind them?
406
00:26:52,492 --> 00:26:56,222
One theory suggest that the
reasons for the raids on Britain
407
00:26:56,257 --> 00:26:59,821
lay not with Vikings
but with Christians.
408
00:26:59,856 --> 00:27:01,427
The Christian Emperor Charlemagne
409
00:27:01,462 --> 00:27:04,307
was busy expanding his
mighty empire at this time,
410
00:27:04,342 --> 00:27:08,914
and was engaged in a bitter struggle
with his pagan neighbours to the north.
411
00:27:10,209 --> 00:27:16,427
One of the things he did was to actually
harass and massacre a lot of the pagans
412
00:27:16,462 --> 00:27:19,200
that lived just the south of Denmark.
413
00:27:19,235 --> 00:27:23,844
And at one point he killed something
like 4,500 people in one go.
414
00:27:23,879 --> 00:27:27,591
Honestly, I think that
this put the fear of God,
415
00:27:27,626 --> 00:27:30,817
literally speaking, into
the Nordic countries.
416
00:27:30,852 --> 00:27:37,987
People understood that, either we
organise or we get swallowed or killed.
417
00:27:41,066 --> 00:27:45,953
I think, with a threat from the
outside, they started to unite,
418
00:27:45,988 --> 00:27:47,668
and that is the kind of response.
419
00:27:47,703 --> 00:27:50,693
And they need cash, they need something
420
00:27:50,728 --> 00:27:53,988
to get this political
process going, so to speak.
421
00:27:54,023 --> 00:27:58,150
And I think that's what the
earlier Viking raids are about.
422
00:27:59,507 --> 00:28:02,291
I find this idea fascinating.
423
00:28:02,326 --> 00:28:04,501
Could Viking raids
really have been triggered
424
00:28:04,536 --> 00:28:07,544
by military pressure
from the Christian south?
425
00:28:07,579 --> 00:28:10,172
All we can be sure
about is that the Vikings
426
00:28:10,207 --> 00:28:13,714
had the technology to launch
these audacious attacks.
427
00:28:15,217 --> 00:28:17,642
But, are there other ways of finding out
428
00:28:17,677 --> 00:28:20,694
where they went once
they got to Britain?
429
00:28:27,958 --> 00:28:33,587
A new branch of genetics may offer us an
alternative way of tracing the Vikings.
430
00:28:35,084 --> 00:28:39,616
Professor David Goldstein, a
geneticist at University College London,
431
00:28:39,651 --> 00:28:41,697
has pioneered the use of DNA
432
00:28:41,732 --> 00:28:45,343
to trace the movements of
ancient peoples across the world.
433
00:28:46,444 --> 00:28:49,678
This branch of genetics
is only a few years old,
434
00:28:49,713 --> 00:28:53,298
made possible by the findings
from the Human Genome project.
435
00:28:53,333 --> 00:28:57,813
So what are Goldstein's feelings about
making a test case of the Vikings?
436
00:28:59,551 --> 00:29:03,241
The Vikings are an extremely
interesting group to look at in this way,
437
00:29:03,276 --> 00:29:05,077
and there's a couple of reasons for that.
438
00:29:05,112 --> 00:29:09,898
One is that the questions
are relatively well defined.
439
00:29:09,933 --> 00:29:13,980
We have a relatively well
defined geographic area
440
00:29:14,015 --> 00:29:16,011
for where the Vikings came from,
441
00:29:16,046 --> 00:29:18,694
and a relatively well
defined period of time
442
00:29:18,729 --> 00:29:21,469
during which they came
into the British Isles.
443
00:29:21,504 --> 00:29:24,927
Now, what we don't know is,
when they went to those places,
444
00:29:24,962 --> 00:29:27,992
did they establish large populations,
445
00:29:28,027 --> 00:29:30,515
or was there just some
fighting and they went back?
446
00:29:30,550 --> 00:29:32,476
And that's actually what
we're trying to get at -
447
00:29:32,511 --> 00:29:36,553
what was the genetic contribution
of the Vikings to the British Isles.
448
00:29:36,588 --> 00:29:38,159
So, when you roll it all together
449
00:29:38,194 --> 00:29:41,004
it's actually an extremely
interesting problem for us to work on.
450
00:29:47,641 --> 00:29:49,971
The key to Goldstein's success
451
00:29:50,006 --> 00:29:53,436
is that part of human DNA
responsible for maleness.
452
00:29:53,471 --> 00:29:58,122
It's known as the Y chromosome and
it's passed down from father to son.
453
00:29:58,157 --> 00:30:02,906
Only this chromosome contains the precise
information that David Goldstein needs
454
00:30:02,941 --> 00:30:05,769
for tracking population through time.
455
00:30:10,306 --> 00:30:14,895
In my family, the Y chromosome has
come down from my grandfather Charles,
456
00:30:14,930 --> 00:30:17,854
through my father Albert,
who passed it on to me
457
00:30:17,889 --> 00:30:20,936
and I, in turn, passed
it on to my son Barnaby.
458
00:30:20,971 --> 00:30:23,699
And this has been going on
for countless generations,
459
00:30:23,734 --> 00:30:27,778
and will continue to do so as long
as this male line remains unbroken,
460
00:30:27,813 --> 00:30:30,230
as long as there are male Richards.
461
00:30:30,265 --> 00:30:32,696
Now, this particular chromosome
462
00:30:32,731 --> 00:30:36,180
alters very little from
generation to generation,
463
00:30:36,215 --> 00:30:39,665
so as I trace this line back
through my male relatives
464
00:30:39,700 --> 00:30:43,793
the Y chromosome in my family
will hardly have altered at all.
465
00:30:43,828 --> 00:30:45,930
And this is what makes
the Y chromosome
466
00:30:45,965 --> 00:30:49,402
such a powerful tool
in tracing populations.
467
00:30:51,130 --> 00:30:55,830
For the study Goldstein will
recruit males who live in small towns
468
00:30:55,865 --> 00:30:57,144
and who's own male line
469
00:30:57,179 --> 00:31:00,313
can be traced back several
generations in the same place.
470
00:31:00,348 --> 00:31:05,144
This way, he hopes to reduce the
effect of modern population movement.
471
00:31:08,307 --> 00:31:12,712
The small towns are chosen to
be evenly spread across Britain.
472
00:31:13,870 --> 00:31:17,547
But there are also a few
places of particular interest,
473
00:31:17,582 --> 00:31:20,730
such as those with a
historical Viking link.
474
00:31:20,765 --> 00:31:23,949
What you're saying is that the
country is not wide enough for us to...
475
00:31:23,984 --> 00:31:29,132
Goldstein hopes to estimate
the ethnic mix of these islands
476
00:31:29,167 --> 00:31:31,037
more than a millennium ago.
477
00:31:31,072 --> 00:31:34,374
But to do this he'll
need thousands of samples,
478
00:31:34,409 --> 00:31:36,096
not only from Britain and Ireland,
479
00:31:36,131 --> 00:31:39,467
but also from the Viking
homelands in Scandinavia.
480
00:31:39,502 --> 00:31:41,961
I think it is ambitious,
but I think that we really
481
00:31:41,996 --> 00:31:46,152
now have the ingredients that we need
to take on a project of this scale.
482
00:31:46,187 --> 00:31:49,502
The genetic technology is there,
483
00:31:49,537 --> 00:31:55,046
and genetics is, in fact, opening up
a new window on history.
484
00:31:56,638 --> 00:31:57,998
So, if we could just review
485
00:31:58,033 --> 00:32:01,190
the ethical implications of
the project as it develops.
486
00:32:01,225 --> 00:32:05,877
Before he can go ahead, serious
ethical questions have to be addressed.
487
00:32:05,912 --> 00:32:10,768
Amongst them, is the sensitive issue
of handling the DNA of volunteers.
488
00:32:10,803 --> 00:32:14,065
...family members in case of
a paternity and non-paternity?
489
00:32:14,100 --> 00:32:18,162
That's right. So we'll try not to
include any relatives in the study.
490
00:32:19,446 --> 00:32:22,216
There is one strange piece of evidence
491
00:32:22,251 --> 00:32:26,222
hinting that genetic clues to a
Viking presence might be found.
492
00:32:26,257 --> 00:32:30,604
It's a rare genetic disease
called Dupuytren's contracture,
493
00:32:30,639 --> 00:32:35,632
in which a tightening of the tendons in
the hand give it a claw-like appearance.
494
00:32:36,543 --> 00:32:39,478
There's a suggestion that this disease
495
00:32:39,513 --> 00:32:44,333
may have come from a
Viking genetic inheritance.
496
00:32:44,368 --> 00:32:46,928
I don't know how scientific this is,
497
00:32:46,963 --> 00:32:51,122
but there does certainly seem to be a
lot of this disease in Northern Europe
498
00:32:51,157 --> 00:32:54,608
and as you move down towards the
Mediterranean it gets less common,
499
00:32:54,643 --> 00:32:57,818
and as you get to the Equator
it's virtually never seen.
500
00:33:01,299 --> 00:33:04,209
And among its sufferers,
I'm amazed to discover
501
00:33:04,244 --> 00:33:07,415
a two modern-day warriors
of the North Atlantic.
502
00:33:08,304 --> 00:33:11,973
According to the president surgeon at
Georgetown University Medical Centre,
503
00:33:12,008 --> 00:33:13,471
the president was delighted to know
504
00:33:13,506 --> 00:33:16,694
that he was among such
good company as the Vikings.
505
00:33:18,188 --> 00:33:22,806
And tonight, Mrs Thatcher has gone into
hospital for an operation on her hand.
506
00:33:22,841 --> 00:33:26,095
She's suffering from a condition
called Dupuytren's contracture
507
00:33:26,130 --> 00:33:30,295
which could cause the loss of movement
in her little finger if untreated.
508
00:33:31,466 --> 00:33:37,488
Could Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan
really be the descendants of Vikings?
509
00:33:40,230 --> 00:33:43,257
Today the disease is treated surgically
510
00:33:43,292 --> 00:33:46,029
by cutting tendons to free the hand.
511
00:33:46,064 --> 00:33:49,732
There's good reason to believe that
Vikings suffered from this disease.
512
00:33:49,767 --> 00:33:53,367
Several mentions of such a
condition are found in the Sagas,
513
00:33:53,402 --> 00:33:56,514
stories written by the
Vikings' descendants.
514
00:33:56,549 --> 00:34:02,379
One story in the Sagas tells of
Guğmundur the Good, an Icelandic priest.
515
00:34:02,414 --> 00:34:05,948
He has a servant woman brought
to him to massage his feet.
516
00:34:05,983 --> 00:34:07,942
But the massage isn't very good
517
00:34:07,977 --> 00:34:12,287
because three fingers of he woman's
hand are clenched into her palm.
518
00:34:13,294 --> 00:34:16,983
Guğmundur's frustration
finally boils over.
519
00:34:18,818 --> 00:34:22,804
By kicking out, he ruptures
the tendons in the woman's hand.
520
00:34:22,839 --> 00:34:25,589
But as a result she's cured.
521
00:34:28,997 --> 00:34:31,941
The story of Dupuytren's
contracture is encouraging
522
00:34:31,976 --> 00:34:34,648
in the search for a
Viking genetic legacy.
523
00:34:34,683 --> 00:34:37,245
But now, David Goldstein
must begin the task
524
00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:40,688
of recruiting volunteers
to donate their DNA.
525
00:34:47,390 --> 00:34:50,275
One of the places where
samples will be collected
526
00:34:50,310 --> 00:34:51,571
is Orkney.
527
00:34:55,044 --> 00:34:59,995
So, what you do, is just break up
the swab, pull it out and rub it...
528
00:35:00,030 --> 00:35:01,399
on the inside of your cheek.
529
00:35:01,434 --> 00:35:04,584
Goldstein's colleague, Jim Wilson,
a native Orcadian,
530
00:35:04,619 --> 00:35:07,382
has returned home to
look for volunteers.
531
00:35:07,417 --> 00:35:12,366
Cells taken from the inside of their
cheeks should provide enough DNA.
532
00:35:13,851 --> 00:35:17,920
The reason I'm so fascinated by the
Orkneys is because I grew up here
533
00:35:17,955 --> 00:35:20,366
and everyone here is really interested
534
00:35:20,401 --> 00:35:22,798
in where they come
from in their heritage.
535
00:35:22,833 --> 00:35:24,460
I think, of anywhere in Britain,
536
00:35:24,495 --> 00:35:27,921
here has the strongest
evidence for Viking settlement,
537
00:35:27,956 --> 00:35:29,884
both archaeologically
and linguistically.
538
00:35:29,919 --> 00:35:33,324
I mean, all the place names of Orkney
are Scandinavian in origin.
539
00:35:33,359 --> 00:35:35,498
And with such a strong cultural heritage
540
00:35:35,533 --> 00:35:39,645
I wondered if I'd be able to find a
genetic heritage to go along with it.
541
00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:43,670
And at last we have the tools to really
look into this question and answer it.
542
00:35:43,705 --> 00:35:46,433
In the coming months,
the team will travel
543
00:35:46,468 --> 00:35:49,367
across Britain and
Ireland collecting samples.
544
00:35:53,776 --> 00:35:56,491
So, I'll keep this cool in the fridge.
545
00:35:56,526 --> 00:35:59,611
But will they find
traces of Viking ancestry?
546
00:35:59,646 --> 00:36:02,318
There's no guarantee of success.
547
00:36:02,353 --> 00:36:05,921
But the Vikings didn't ask people
signed consent forms, did they?
548
00:36:08,302 --> 00:36:11,236
Back on the hunt for
evidence of Viking attacks
549
00:36:11,271 --> 00:36:14,467
something extraordinary
has come up on the mainland.
550
00:36:14,502 --> 00:36:17,651
I'd almost given up hope of finding
archaeological evidence in Britain
551
00:36:17,686 --> 00:36:20,055
for a Viking raid on a monastery.
552
00:36:20,090 --> 00:36:21,957
But new finds in the north of Scotland
553
00:36:21,992 --> 00:36:24,472
could be just what I'm looking for.
554
00:36:26,221 --> 00:36:30,364
On this site, at Tarbat, about
30 miles north of Inverness,
555
00:36:30,399 --> 00:36:32,684
archaeologists have discovered
traces of a monastery
556
00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:34,672
that dates from the 8th century
557
00:36:34,707 --> 00:36:38,408
that carries on in use throughout the
time that Viking raids are starting up.
558
00:36:38,443 --> 00:36:40,806
And it certainly lies in
a very vulnerable position
559
00:36:40,841 --> 00:36:42,942
because it's right next to the coast.
560
00:36:42,977 --> 00:36:45,425
But up till now, this monastery,
561
00:36:45,460 --> 00:36:48,213
along with all the others
we know from this period,
562
00:36:48,248 --> 00:36:51,736
have shown no archaeological
evidence of a Viking raid.
563
00:36:58,689 --> 00:37:02,850
Professor Martin Carver, who has been
working at the site for six years,
564
00:37:02,885 --> 00:37:05,199
began to uncover clues
that this monastery
565
00:37:05,234 --> 00:37:07,638
might have suffered a violent attack.
566
00:37:07,673 --> 00:37:12,533
The first sign was large fragments
of broken Christian sculpture.
567
00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:15,871
When we found the pieces of sculpture
568
00:37:15,906 --> 00:37:18,944
we noticed two things
about them straight away.
569
00:37:18,979 --> 00:37:25,555
First, they are astonishingly
beautiful and very, very fresh.
570
00:37:25,590 --> 00:37:29,783
Everybody working on the site was,
you can imagine, hugely excited
571
00:37:29,818 --> 00:37:33,742
at digging up works of art. That's
something that doesn't happen very often
572
00:37:33,777 --> 00:37:37,038
on one's archaeological career,
if ever, in fact.
573
00:37:37,073 --> 00:37:40,872
The carving just seems
like it was made yesterday.
574
00:37:40,907 --> 00:37:47,396
We also noticed that, in many cases
they'd been sort of smashed and cracked.
575
00:37:47,431 --> 00:37:52,152
And in many cases we could fit
them together again, you see.
576
00:37:52,187 --> 00:37:55,921
Clearly some one or more great
monuments had been broken up
577
00:37:55,956 --> 00:38:01,080
forcibly and quickly and violently
with a sledge hammer.
578
00:38:01,115 --> 00:38:06,329
Right, we are going down
to visit the revetment wall now.
579
00:38:06,364 --> 00:38:07,667
I'll just lead the way...
580
00:38:07,702 --> 00:38:11,822
At the site, Martin shows me the spot
where he'd uncovered the sculpture.
581
00:38:12,433 --> 00:38:17,022
It's this layer here. You see
the black one that goes across?
582
00:38:17,057 --> 00:38:21,714
That's the one that produced all
the broken pieces of sculpture.
583
00:38:21,749 --> 00:38:23,634
There are some big bits
of charcoal in there.
584
00:38:23,669 --> 00:38:25,347
There are. This is burnt wood.
585
00:38:25,382 --> 00:38:27,633
And there's nails as
well in the same layer.
586
00:38:27,668 --> 00:38:29,967
So, what do you thing is
actually going on here?
587
00:38:30,002 --> 00:38:33,513
Well, somebody has
burnt down buildings.
588
00:38:33,548 --> 00:38:36,410
But, I think not here,
this isn't burning in situ.
589
00:38:36,445 --> 00:38:39,105
They burnt down the building
probably near the top of the hill
590
00:38:39,140 --> 00:38:43,886
where the church now stands, broke
up sculpture and tipped it down here.
591
00:38:43,921 --> 00:38:46,830
So the heart has been
torn out of this monastery.
592
00:38:48,561 --> 00:38:52,928
Given that there's lots of
documentary evidence for Viking attacks
593
00:38:52,963 --> 00:38:56,230
on monasteries, but no
archaeological evidence up to now,
594
00:38:56,265 --> 00:38:59,164
do you think you've got the first
evidence of one of these attacks?
595
00:38:59,199 --> 00:39:00,665
I we may have.
596
00:39:00,700 --> 00:39:03,412
This burning layer may well be a clue.
597
00:39:03,447 --> 00:39:08,615
And if we can confirm this as
the violent end of a monastery
598
00:39:08,650 --> 00:39:12,885
and we can date it to the 9th century and
ascribe it to the Vikings, and why not,
599
00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:16,021
I think that will be down
to opening a really big area.
600
00:39:17,497 --> 00:39:20,032
But that's not all.
601
00:39:20,067 --> 00:39:23,639
There's other evidence at this
site that points to a Viking raid.
602
00:39:23,674 --> 00:39:26,420
The bodies of murdered monks.
603
00:39:26,939 --> 00:39:30,667
Most of the monks' burials probably
lie underneath the present churchyard,
604
00:39:30,702 --> 00:39:32,068
but some of them were discovered
605
00:39:32,103 --> 00:39:35,230
when the present church was
investigated and its floors were dug up.
606
00:39:35,265 --> 00:39:37,836
They're really what you'd
expect of a group of monks.
607
00:39:37,871 --> 00:39:39,505
They're mostly middle-aged males
608
00:39:39,540 --> 00:39:42,579
but several of them showed
signs of sword wounds.
609
00:39:43,259 --> 00:39:45,702
They may have been a
group of peaceful monks
610
00:39:45,737 --> 00:39:49,109
but some of them seemed to
have had a very violent death.
611
00:39:51,807 --> 00:39:55,347
Could this have happened during
the period of Viking attacks?
612
00:39:55,382 --> 00:39:59,564
Martin has sent bones from three
of the skeletons for carbon dating.
613
00:40:01,466 --> 00:40:06,009
Two of the skeletons are from what looks
like part of the monastic burial ground,
614
00:40:06,044 --> 00:40:10,043
a third is from a different part of the
cemetery and carbondating reveals that
615
00:40:10,078 --> 00:40:14,480
he died after 1100, once the
monastery had been destroyed.
616
00:40:14,515 --> 00:40:18,593
But the two skeletons thought to
be monks tell a different story.
617
00:40:18,628 --> 00:40:22,988
They died some time between
the years 700 and 1,000,
618
00:40:23,023 --> 00:40:28,137
a large range, but it fits perfectly
with the period of Viking attacks.
619
00:40:30,977 --> 00:40:34,931
If look at the injuries, you'll see that
the kind of injuries they sustained
620
00:40:34,966 --> 00:40:37,926
are the kind of injuries
that come from sword cuts.
621
00:40:37,961 --> 00:40:40,994
Yes. So what sort of injury
did this person sustain, Martin?
622
00:40:41,029 --> 00:40:42,163
Is it these?
623
00:40:42,198 --> 00:40:46,988
Yes. Two grooves here
made by a heavy blade,
624
00:40:47,023 --> 00:40:49,726
but then healed up.
625
00:40:49,761 --> 00:40:52,103
Now, this one here was less lucky.
626
00:40:52,138 --> 00:40:55,281
- That is a very, very...
- That's a massive...
627
00:40:55,316 --> 00:40:59,348
That's a massive cut and a very
heavy blade that's cut that through.
628
00:40:59,383 --> 00:41:00,412
And theres another little...
629
00:41:00,447 --> 00:41:02,130
Do you see that little one there?
630
00:41:02,165 --> 00:41:05,847
- So that's two slicing blows...
- Yes. To the back of the head.
631
00:41:05,882 --> 00:41:08,867
And then that one, coup
de grace, so to speak,
632
00:41:08,902 --> 00:41:11,214
that's the cut across here.
And then this fracture
633
00:41:11,249 --> 00:41:14,783
has spread as a result
of that massive blow.
634
00:41:14,818 --> 00:41:17,962
Do you really think that these
are the victims of Vikings?
635
00:41:17,997 --> 00:41:19,948
Well, I think they could be.
636
00:41:19,983 --> 00:41:22,650
These two people have
both suffered blade injuries.
637
00:41:22,685 --> 00:41:26,045
This one certainly
died from the attack.
638
00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:29,927
And at the same time,
our monastic establishment
639
00:41:29,962 --> 00:41:33,183
seems to be coming to an end.
640
00:41:33,218 --> 00:41:38,376
As a result of this evidence,
I at least, find it easier to believe
641
00:41:38,411 --> 00:41:42,905
in tales of Viking attacks on
monasteries than I did before.
642
00:41:45,763 --> 00:41:48,004
These new discoveries are surely
643
00:41:48,039 --> 00:41:52,467
the best archaeological evidence from
the British Isles for Viking raids.
644
00:41:52,502 --> 00:41:54,936
But they're exciting
for another reason.
645
00:41:54,971 --> 00:41:58,145
No raid at Tarbat was ever documented.
646
00:41:58,180 --> 00:42:00,849
Indeed, not even the
existence of the monastery
647
00:42:00,884 --> 00:42:03,567
was known until the recent excavations.
648
00:42:03,602 --> 00:42:06,913
So, how many other raids
went unreported?
649
00:42:13,883 --> 00:42:16,293
But this isn't the end of the story.
650
00:42:16,328 --> 00:42:18,623
The Vikings didn't only hit and run.
651
00:42:18,658 --> 00:42:21,522
In Anglesey, where I've
seen evidence for attacks,
652
00:42:21,557 --> 00:42:25,154
there are also hints that
the Vikings later settled.
653
00:42:26,308 --> 00:42:31,807
Viking silver, weights and other
objects suggest a trading post.
654
00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:36,111
And nearby, at the Church of St Seiriol
655
00:42:36,146 --> 00:42:39,666
I met someone who believes that
the Vikings eventually returned
656
00:42:39,701 --> 00:42:42,557
and left their mark in sculpture.
657
00:42:49,035 --> 00:42:52,246
So, what is it? Is it somebody
holding something in the hand?
658
00:42:52,281 --> 00:42:56,164
Well, that's right, you see. It's
holding what appears to be a hammer
659
00:42:56,199 --> 00:42:59,436
or an axe in its hand.
660
00:42:59,471 --> 00:43:02,088
And there is nothing like it in Wales.
661
00:43:02,123 --> 00:43:05,179
Now, it could be a sheer coincidence,
662
00:43:05,214 --> 00:43:12,424
but the only example that I know of
occurs in a church at Gotland, in Sweden.
663
00:43:12,459 --> 00:43:16,556
Now, as you can see, it's
a similar bearded figure
664
00:43:16,591 --> 00:43:20,166
and he is holding in his hand a hammer.
665
00:43:20,201 --> 00:43:23,406
But more interestingly,
in his other hand,
666
00:43:23,441 --> 00:43:26,974
and sadly this one has
lost his other arm and hand,
667
00:43:27,009 --> 00:43:29,944
he is holding smith's tools.
668
00:43:29,979 --> 00:43:32,810
And we know exactly who
this little gentleman is,
669
00:43:32,845 --> 00:43:37,825
he is the dwarf god of smiths.
Pure Norse.
670
00:43:40,849 --> 00:43:42,821
There may be a connection.
671
00:43:42,856 --> 00:43:46,500
But there certainly is clear-cut evidence
for a more permanent Viking presence
672
00:43:46,535 --> 00:43:48,773
elsewhere across the British Isles.
673
00:43:48,808 --> 00:43:53,462
Found in pagan grave goods,
place names and sculpture.
674
00:43:53,840 --> 00:43:55,851
But what does it all mean?
675
00:43:55,886 --> 00:43:59,347
Did Vikings stay a while before
heading back to Scandinavia?
676
00:43:59,382 --> 00:44:02,109
Or did some never leave these Islands?
677
00:44:02,144 --> 00:44:07,046
We hope to find some answers in the
genes of the Vikings' descendants.
678
00:44:10,686 --> 00:44:14,391
David Goldstein has come to
Bergen, in Western Norway,
679
00:44:14,426 --> 00:44:18,645
because before he can identify Viking
roots in the British Isles,
680
00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:22,279
he needs to know how to recognise
Viking genetic signatures.
681
00:44:22,314 --> 00:44:27,378
To find this, he'll collect blood from
a number of locations across Scandinavia
682
00:44:27,413 --> 00:44:31,767
starting close to where the
first Vikings may have set sail.
683
00:44:31,802 --> 00:44:36,406
Some men here, ought to share
DNA with those first raiders.
684
00:44:38,284 --> 00:44:41,979
I'm wondering how you
view your own ancestry.
685
00:44:42,014 --> 00:44:45,241
Do you view yourself as
having Viking ancestors?
686
00:44:45,276 --> 00:44:49,588
Yes, I do. It's a sort of mixed feeling
687
00:44:49,623 --> 00:44:54,592
because you're sort of
proud of your history
688
00:44:54,627 --> 00:44:58,733
and at the same time you know
that these people were barbarians.
689
00:45:00,855 --> 00:45:07,100
I've heard that the Vikings
settled in Dublin, or made Dublin,
690
00:45:07,135 --> 00:45:12,159
so if we Norwegians can claim
Dublin back to us that would be great.
691
00:45:13,486 --> 00:45:17,193
What Pr Goldstein finds
in the DNA of these samples
692
00:45:17,228 --> 00:45:19,974
will be critical for the
success of the project.
693
00:45:21,155 --> 00:45:24,899
He must be able to distinguish
the Norwegian samples
694
00:45:24,934 --> 00:45:29,440
from those of an important sample
area, Castlerea in central Ireland.
695
00:45:29,475 --> 00:45:32,411
Because in contrast,
this is a region unlikely
696
00:45:32,446 --> 00:45:37,457
to have been invaded by the Vikings, or
anyone else over the last 2,000 years.
697
00:45:37,492 --> 00:45:42,497
So it should give Goldstein the signature
of the ancient indigenous Britons.
698
00:45:42,532 --> 00:45:46,716
The people who occupied these
Islands before the Vikings arrived.
699
00:45:59,639 --> 00:46:03,312
These first results will indicate
if it's going to be possible
700
00:46:03,347 --> 00:46:06,018
to distinguish the DNA
of Norwegian Vikings
701
00:46:06,053 --> 00:46:08,458
from that of the indigenous Britons.
702
00:46:08,493 --> 00:46:12,622
Fortunately, the first signs are good.
703
00:46:14,940 --> 00:46:16,687
What we're showing is the results
704
00:46:16,722 --> 00:46:19,315
of looking at Y
chromosomes from both samples.
705
00:46:19,350 --> 00:46:22,735
In doing that we can identify
particular types of Y chromosomes
706
00:46:22,770 --> 00:46:25,711
and we just represent
those types with colours here.
707
00:46:25,746 --> 00:46:27,684
So if you look at the Irish sample here,
708
00:46:27,719 --> 00:46:31,220
what you can see is, in fact,
just two types of Y chromosomes.
709
00:46:31,255 --> 00:46:34,414
The type that we've designated in
yellow, and that's very dominant,
710
00:46:34,449 --> 00:46:37,209
and then you see a second
type represented in blue.
711
00:46:37,244 --> 00:46:40,023
When you look at the Norwegian sample
712
00:46:40,058 --> 00:46:42,112
immediately you see that
it's quite different.
713
00:46:42,147 --> 00:46:48,059
And in fact you see a set of types that
aren't found in the Irish sample at all.
714
00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:50,533
So this is a pretty good
start of the project, isn't it?
715
00:46:50,588 --> 00:46:54,024
Yes, that's right. Fortunately,
the differences are so great which,
716
00:46:54,059 --> 00:46:56,233
I should say, it's not something
that happens all that often
717
00:46:56,268 --> 00:47:00,154
in this kind of work, but here the
differences are sufficiently great
718
00:47:00,189 --> 00:47:02,322
that we can see some things immediately
719
00:47:02,357 --> 00:47:05,871
in terms of identifying Scandinavian
signatures in the British Isles.
720
00:47:05,906 --> 00:47:08,047
So this is really extremely encouraging
721
00:47:08,082 --> 00:47:11,319
that the project that we have
set out to do, can be done.
722
00:47:14,571 --> 00:47:19,293
The vital first step, finding the
key for tracing Norwegian Vikings
723
00:47:19,328 --> 00:47:21,212
has been successful.
724
00:47:21,247 --> 00:47:23,996
What will it tell us
about where they settled?
725
00:47:24,031 --> 00:47:26,604
We'll be following the
project as it unfolds
726
00:47:26,639 --> 00:47:29,215
in 'Blood of the Vikings'.