1 00:00:00,578 --> 00:00:03,290 Last time, in Blood of the Vikings, 2 00:00:03,325 --> 00:00:07,976 I found new evidence for hit-and-run raids by Vikings from Norway. 3 00:00:09,358 --> 00:00:14,910 Tonight my journey follows the first invasion of England by Danish Vikings. 4 00:00:17,427 --> 00:00:21,452 The first Viking warrior to be excavated in modern times. 5 00:00:21,487 --> 00:00:24,646 How did he get such brutal wounds? 6 00:00:26,773 --> 00:00:31,589 Are these broaches evidence of the Vikings' trading, or settling down? 7 00:00:36,346 --> 00:00:41,615 And can genetics help us track Viking immigrants in Dark Age Britain? 8 00:01:13,102 --> 00:01:16,015 They were described as a great raiding army. 9 00:01:16,050 --> 00:01:19,746 Bigger than any Viking force that had been seen before. 10 00:01:21,187 --> 00:01:24,958 By 865 they'd laid waste of much of Europe. 11 00:01:24,993 --> 00:01:28,608 Hungry for new targets they set a course across the channel... 12 00:01:28,643 --> 00:01:30,375 to Britain. 13 00:01:45,817 --> 00:01:48,759 English monks reported that it was somewhere here, 14 00:01:48,794 --> 00:01:50,489 along the coast of East Anglia, 15 00:01:50,524 --> 00:01:53,968 that the Vikings first came to Britain as a full-scale army. 16 00:01:54,003 --> 00:01:56,579 It marked the beginning of a century of fighting, 17 00:01:56,614 --> 00:01:58,472 not just for the lands of England, 18 00:01:58,507 --> 00:02:01,076 but for the very souls of its people. 19 00:02:04,084 --> 00:02:06,295 Historical records are sketchy. 20 00:02:06,330 --> 00:02:08,530 We don't know what triggered the invasion. 21 00:02:08,565 --> 00:02:11,382 But it's likely the force numbered several thousand, 22 00:02:11,417 --> 00:02:13,544 gathered from a ragbag of pirate groups 23 00:02:13,579 --> 00:02:17,558 and led by Danish chieftains like Guthrum, Halfdan 24 00:02:17,593 --> 00:02:20,841 and the ferocious Ivar the Boneless. 25 00:02:22,437 --> 00:02:26,349 Once ashore, the took horses and headed inland. 26 00:02:34,295 --> 00:02:36,155 The area that is now England 27 00:02:36,190 --> 00:02:41,735 was populated by a mixture of indigenous Britons and invading Angles and Saxons. 28 00:02:41,770 --> 00:02:43,255 There were four separate kingdoms. 29 00:02:43,290 --> 00:02:45,518 Wessex was under Saxon rule. 30 00:02:45,553 --> 00:02:48,052 While Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia 31 00:02:48,087 --> 00:02:50,420 were controlled by Angles. 32 00:02:53,899 --> 00:02:59,024 Divided, they were vulnerable to the Vikings' tactics of surprise. 33 00:02:59,025 --> 00:03:01,568 Vikings! Vikings! 34 00:03:31,645 --> 00:03:33,836 "866. 35 00:03:33,871 --> 00:03:36,662 "Here, the raiding army went from East Anglia, 36 00:03:36,697 --> 00:03:39,901 "over the mouth of the Humber to York city. 37 00:03:41,341 --> 00:03:45,892 "An immense slaughter was made of the Northumbrians." 38 00:03:47,904 --> 00:03:50,773 The Vikings' trail of destruction is easy to follow 39 00:03:50,808 --> 00:03:54,585 from grim accounts in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 40 00:03:56,402 --> 00:04:02,139 "869. Here, the raiding army took winter quarters at Thetford. 41 00:04:03,911 --> 00:04:07,138 "And the Danish killed the king. 42 00:04:11,003 --> 00:04:15,240 "870. Here to Reading in Wessex, 43 00:04:15,275 --> 00:04:17,815 "a great slaughter was made. 44 00:04:17,850 --> 00:04:20,248 "There were many thousands killed 45 00:04:20,283 --> 00:04:23,482 "and fighting went on till night." 46 00:04:28,465 --> 00:04:33,269 These writings paint a vivid picture of the impact of the Viking army on England. 47 00:04:33,304 --> 00:04:35,960 But were events really this dramatic? 48 00:04:35,995 --> 00:04:39,511 And did Viking warriors eventually become Viking settlers? 49 00:04:41,053 --> 00:04:43,300 I hope to find new evidence 50 00:04:43,335 --> 00:04:46,060 by following in the tracks of the Great Army. 51 00:04:47,107 --> 00:04:51,824 "873. In this year the army went from Lindsey to Repton 52 00:04:51,859 --> 00:04:54,278 "and took up winter quarters there. 53 00:04:54,313 --> 00:04:56,778 "And they conquered all that land." 54 00:04:59,134 --> 00:05:02,106 My journey brings me to a village in the Midlands. 55 00:05:02,141 --> 00:05:06,664 Repton, in the 9th century was home to the main royal monastery of Mercia. 56 00:05:06,699 --> 00:05:10,545 So capturing it was an important victory for the Vikings. 57 00:05:11,597 --> 00:05:15,559 But for once, we have more than just the monks' words. 58 00:05:15,594 --> 00:05:20,874 What's really exciting to me is that this is the only place in the whole of England 59 00:05:20,909 --> 00:05:23,985 where archaeological discoveries bring us face to face 60 00:05:24,020 --> 00:05:26,941 with this terrifying Viking army. 61 00:05:32,677 --> 00:05:37,448 The first clear evidence appeared at the ancient parish church of Saint Wystan's. 62 00:05:41,924 --> 00:05:47,072 In the 1970's and 80's, an excavation was mounted here by Oxford archaeologists 63 00:05:47,107 --> 00:05:52,838 Pr. Martin Biddle and his Danish-born wife, Birthe Kjølby-Biddle. 64 00:05:52,873 --> 00:05:55,602 It was this place, with its stone buildings and its wealth. 65 00:05:55,637 --> 00:05:58,500 Its people who could be ransomed, its books which could be ransomed, 66 00:05:58,535 --> 00:06:02,204 that attracted the Vikings in the autumn of 873. 67 00:06:02,239 --> 00:06:07,067 When they came, this place was the most important place in Mercia. 68 00:06:07,102 --> 00:06:09,458 And they caused mayhem. 69 00:06:09,493 --> 00:06:13,082 They damaged the church, so that it had to be rebuilt afterwards, 70 00:06:13,117 --> 00:06:14,916 they turned it into a fortress, 71 00:06:14,951 --> 00:06:17,781 they buried their people outside it and inside it. 72 00:06:17,816 --> 00:06:21,100 This is a pivotal site in the history of England. 73 00:06:21,135 --> 00:06:22,889 But there's one thing that is certain, 74 00:06:22,924 --> 00:06:26,093 it would be best not to be here in 873. 75 00:06:26,128 --> 00:06:29,580 The Biddles started by investigating the history of the church. 76 00:06:29,615 --> 00:06:32,477 But before long, strong evidence emerged in Repton 77 00:06:32,512 --> 00:06:34,792 for the presence of Vikings. 78 00:06:34,827 --> 00:06:37,796 We might have a ditch in here. 79 00:06:37,831 --> 00:06:41,167 So, we're trying to find the edges of the ditch. 80 00:06:41,202 --> 00:06:44,346 The ditch was part of a massive D-shaped enclosure 81 00:06:44,381 --> 00:06:47,300 that ran between the church and river Trent. 82 00:06:47,335 --> 00:06:49,391 A classically Viking defensive structure 83 00:06:49,426 --> 00:06:52,243 where the church is part of the fortress. 84 00:06:53,978 --> 00:06:56,334 Then pagan burials began to appear 85 00:06:56,369 --> 00:06:58,483 right next to the church. 86 00:06:58,518 --> 00:07:00,698 And when we were digging here, 87 00:07:00,733 --> 00:07:03,472 gradually we came down to the layers 88 00:07:03,507 --> 00:07:07,375 where we found a little stone-mound here 89 00:07:07,410 --> 00:07:09,124 *** 90 00:07:09,159 --> 00:07:12,918 Excavated that, and below that we found two graves, 91 00:07:12,953 --> 00:07:15,809 and one of them was lying just there. 92 00:07:16,548 --> 00:07:19,356 We were excavating it and it seemed special 93 00:07:19,357 --> 00:07:21,782 maybe because of the stones above it. 94 00:07:21,817 --> 00:07:24,945 A very experienced volunteer was digging the head-end of it, 95 00:07:24,980 --> 00:07:28,554 and she said, "I found something strange." 96 00:07:29,411 --> 00:07:31,561 And I said, "What is it Joan?" 97 00:07:31,596 --> 00:07:33,750 "Well, it's shaped like an anchor." 98 00:07:33,785 --> 00:07:36,164 "Oh, my god. It's a Thor's hammer." 99 00:07:36,944 --> 00:07:41,454 And Thor's hammer is the mark of the pagan god Thor 100 00:07:41,489 --> 00:07:44,403 and pagan Vikings, men especially, 101 00:07:44,438 --> 00:07:47,780 would have buried their dead as a sign of his power, 102 00:07:47,815 --> 00:07:50,735 like we could have buried with the cross. 103 00:07:56,013 --> 00:07:57,829 I was actually digging the foot-end 104 00:07:57,864 --> 00:08:01,104 and I said, "It's very strange. He's got three legs!" 105 00:08:01,139 --> 00:08:04,691 And I said, "We've got a sword. We've got a Viking sword!" 106 00:08:04,726 --> 00:08:07,451 And I ran off to find Martin and tell him all about it. 107 00:08:07,486 --> 00:08:09,090 And there it was. 108 00:08:14,826 --> 00:08:20,030 Mysteriously, a boar's tusk had been placed between the man's legs. 109 00:08:21,375 --> 00:08:23,116 And at the top of his femur 110 00:08:23,151 --> 00:08:26,551 was what looked like a particularly nasty wound. 111 00:08:29,246 --> 00:08:32,126 It's the first Viking warrior grave in England 112 00:08:32,161 --> 00:08:36,258 to be excavated using modern archaeological techniques. 113 00:08:40,567 --> 00:08:42,878 He was buried with a companion. 114 00:08:42,913 --> 00:08:48,247 And nearby a third skeleton was found buried with a Viking gold ring. 115 00:08:52,422 --> 00:08:55,234 But if these were members of the Great Army, 116 00:08:55,269 --> 00:08:57,037 where are the others? 117 00:08:57,072 --> 00:09:00,388 The Biddles turned their attention to the vicarage garden. 118 00:09:00,423 --> 00:09:02,340 So there was this mound in the garden, 119 00:09:02,375 --> 00:09:03,686 and the vicar said to us, 120 00:09:03,721 --> 00:09:05,732 "Look, we might have to sell off the vicarage garden." 121 00:09:05,767 --> 00:09:07,268 Never happened, fortunately. 122 00:09:07,303 --> 00:09:10,486 "Please, come have a look at this mound first. Tell us what it is." 123 00:09:10,521 --> 00:09:12,785 So that's how we started here in 1980. 124 00:09:12,820 --> 00:09:15,193 So when you came here there was still a mound, was there? 125 00:09:15,228 --> 00:09:17,145 There was indeed, yes. 126 00:09:19,279 --> 00:09:23,232 The Biddles' research uncovered a strange report of an excavation 127 00:09:23,267 --> 00:09:26,050 way back in 1,686. 128 00:09:28,402 --> 00:09:33,881 One Thomas Walker told a story of how he dug up an enigmatic mound 129 00:09:33,916 --> 00:09:38,898 and discovered a stone-coffin containing 'a humane body nine-foot long, 130 00:09:38,933 --> 00:09:41,722 'surrounded by a hundred other bodies'. 131 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:50,284 Was this the same mound as the one at the bottom of the vicar's garden? 132 00:09:50,319 --> 00:09:52,538 Martin and Birthe wanted to know. 133 00:09:52,573 --> 00:09:54,774 Now, what on earth is it? 134 00:09:54,809 --> 00:09:56,759 The worst possible, 135 00:09:56,794 --> 00:10:00,804 is that it is the Victorian garden feature when the house was built. 136 00:10:00,839 --> 00:10:04,193 Next possibility - medieval mill-mound. 137 00:10:04,228 --> 00:10:06,870 Next possibility - Viking burial mound. 138 00:10:06,905 --> 00:10:09,708 So, we don't know and we have to find out. 139 00:10:13,087 --> 00:10:16,264 Gradually, as the first layers were removed, 140 00:10:16,299 --> 00:10:19,316 evidence of a pagan burial mound was revealed. 141 00:10:20,171 --> 00:10:22,445 But what they eventually found 142 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:25,505 was beyond all their expectations. 143 00:10:37,124 --> 00:10:43,113 They unearthed the bones of 250 people lying in an ancient charnel house 144 00:10:43,148 --> 00:10:46,158 which had later been covered by a pagan mound. 145 00:10:46,193 --> 00:10:48,760 80% of the bodies were male. 146 00:10:48,795 --> 00:10:51,152 And even though many of the were particularly tall, 147 00:10:51,187 --> 00:10:54,917 there was no sign of the giant mentioned in 1,686. 148 00:10:54,952 --> 00:10:59,278 But among the bones were clues that pointed to the Great Army. 149 00:10:59,313 --> 00:11:03,247 So we had this extraordinary mass of completely disordered human bones, 150 00:11:03,282 --> 00:11:06,128 but we also got four and a half silver pennies. 151 00:11:06,163 --> 00:11:11,574 Absolutely datable to 873-4 exactly when the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 152 00:11:11,609 --> 00:11:13,849 says the Vikings wintered here. 153 00:11:15,075 --> 00:11:16,546 The evidence from the coins 154 00:11:16,547 --> 00:11:20,212 points to the use of the mound at the time of the Great Army. 155 00:11:20,247 --> 00:11:22,524 But what about the missing giant? 156 00:11:23,401 --> 00:11:28,235 By coincidence, one of the army's original leaders, Ivar the Boneless, 157 00:11:28,270 --> 00:11:33,602 known for his immense physical stature, is thought to have died in 873. 158 00:11:35,078 --> 00:11:37,226 One might discuss whether it's Ivar or not, 159 00:11:37,261 --> 00:11:39,517 but this is a very coherent suggestion that it is, 160 00:11:39,552 --> 00:11:42,074 it has to be an absolutely major leader. 161 00:11:42,109 --> 00:11:46,169 We know it's 873-4, so it's one of this very, very rare occasions 162 00:11:46,204 --> 00:11:49,805 when archaeology actually does confront a historic event. 163 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:52,016 We have the historic event in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, 164 00:11:52,051 --> 00:11:55,707 we've got these things happening here, we now can flesh out that enormously, 165 00:11:55,742 --> 00:11:58,700 we've got this great person buried, it might be Ivar. 166 00:11:58,735 --> 00:12:04,064 The big problem is, who are these people buried around the central burial? 167 00:12:04,099 --> 00:12:06,786 Are they English? Are they Mercians? 168 00:12:06,821 --> 00:12:08,620 Or are they Scandinavians? 169 00:12:11,428 --> 00:12:13,789 We may not have found the Vikings' leader, 170 00:12:13,824 --> 00:12:17,484 but we do have the warrior with his Thor's hammer and sword. 171 00:12:17,815 --> 00:12:20,257 His skull has been sent to medical artist, 172 00:12:20,292 --> 00:12:23,715 Dr Caroline Wilkinson, at Manchester University. 173 00:12:23,750 --> 00:12:27,542 She used the anatomy of the skull to put a face to it. 174 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,512 Initially this technique was developed as a forensic tool 175 00:12:31,547 --> 00:12:35,515 for the identification of unidentified bodies. 176 00:12:36,162 --> 00:12:38,573 As you can see here the muscles of the face 177 00:12:38,608 --> 00:12:41,979 have been built onto the skull one by one. 178 00:12:42,014 --> 00:12:45,771 So we start with the larger muscles that you use for eating and talking 179 00:12:45,806 --> 00:12:47,662 and opening and closing your eyes, 180 00:12:47,697 --> 00:12:51,049 and then we end up with these finer muscles that you use 181 00:12:51,084 --> 00:12:53,089 for facial expression. 182 00:12:53,111 --> 00:12:57,102 So at the finished-muscle stage you can see here 183 00:12:57,137 --> 00:13:00,897 you can already see the shape and proportions of the face 184 00:13:00,932 --> 00:13:03,221 and the overall shape. 185 00:13:03,256 --> 00:13:07,816 So you can already get some idea of what this person's going to look like. 186 00:13:24,289 --> 00:13:28,128 By coincidence, while Caroline was working on the skull, 187 00:13:28,163 --> 00:13:32,663 a pathologist colleague passing by noticed something unusual about it. 188 00:13:32,698 --> 00:13:34,730 Prompted by his comments, 189 00:13:34,765 --> 00:13:37,966 the Biddles invited him to take a fresh look at the whole skeleton. 190 00:13:38,001 --> 00:13:44,412 The probable cause of death is two superimposed penetrating wounds here. 191 00:13:44,447 --> 00:13:47,725 Two separate wounds delivered one after the other. 192 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:52,799 The width of the wound is too narrow for an Anglo-Saxon sword. 193 00:13:52,834 --> 00:13:57,299 The only thing that really fits the bill is a two-edge, long, thin spear. 194 00:13:57,334 --> 00:14:02,336 But there are other wounds, for example, the arm here 195 00:14:02,371 --> 00:14:07,363 has been struck by some very sharp object 196 00:14:07,398 --> 00:14:12,206 which has cut right through and into the bones of the lower arm. 197 00:14:12,241 --> 00:14:16,060 - So that is a slicing wound? - It is a wound that has come 198 00:14:16,095 --> 00:14:21,634 straight down the arm; effectively it's had a chunk of his arm cut out. 199 00:14:21,669 --> 00:14:25,548 But is that the sort of injury you could sustain if you were fighting? 200 00:14:25,583 --> 00:14:28,186 - A glancing sword blow, like that? - Yes. 201 00:14:28,221 --> 00:14:30,495 But that wouldn't kill him immediately. 202 00:14:30,530 --> 00:14:36,297 Then, in the spine, there is an area here, 203 00:14:36,332 --> 00:14:39,160 in the lower thoracic spine 204 00:14:39,195 --> 00:14:41,178 where there's very clear evidence 205 00:14:41,213 --> 00:14:45,613 of a cut like this across the body of the vertebrae. 206 00:14:45,648 --> 00:14:47,726 But is that inside? 207 00:14:47,761 --> 00:14:51,206 That is inside. That's done from the body cavity. 208 00:14:51,241 --> 00:14:55,468 So this man must have been, at least partly, eviscerated. 209 00:14:55,503 --> 00:14:57,466 Had his guts taken out. 210 00:14:57,501 --> 00:15:01,683 That was an injury that was brought about after death. 211 00:15:01,718 --> 00:15:04,999 - This is deliberate mutilation? - Yes. 212 00:15:05,034 --> 00:15:07,076 And what about this wound on the thigh? 213 00:15:07,111 --> 00:15:10,803 Yes, that's certainly a wound and it extends actually 214 00:15:10,838 --> 00:15:15,250 just onto the edge of the pubic bone. 215 00:15:15,285 --> 00:15:18,609 You can see the continuity of the blow. 216 00:15:18,644 --> 00:15:21,033 Oh, I see. So it's not just in there. 217 00:15:21,068 --> 00:15:25,358 In the process, he would have probably lost his left testicle and most of his penis. 218 00:15:25,393 --> 00:15:27,712 The blow would have come from just about where I'm standing, 219 00:15:27,747 --> 00:15:30,874 and it would be something like a blow like that! Right down! 220 00:15:30,909 --> 00:15:36,599 With a long handle, iron-axe. We looked together at the shape of that cut, 221 00:15:36,634 --> 00:15:40,978 a V-shaped cut, and we are all of the opinion, I think, 222 00:15:41,013 --> 00:15:45,427 a *** axe-blade is the more likely implement. 223 00:15:45,462 --> 00:15:48,954 And you remember, Julian, it was just in that position, 224 00:15:48,989 --> 00:15:51,437 lying across the bottom of the graveyard, 225 00:15:51,472 --> 00:15:56,816 that we found the tusk of a wild boar and we always had the suspicion, 226 00:15:56,851 --> 00:15:59,283 without, of course, the medical knowledge to be certain, 227 00:15:59,318 --> 00:16:04,199 that that might have been a substitute for his missing parts. 228 00:16:04,234 --> 00:16:07,853 So, literally, he would be complete on going to Valhalla. 229 00:16:11,140 --> 00:16:17,082 There is also evidence of hacking at the feet. 230 00:16:17,117 --> 00:16:19,746 We've placed the bones of the feet here 231 00:16:19,781 --> 00:16:23,697 in no particular arrangement because they are so cut about. 232 00:16:28,379 --> 00:16:32,468 Surely, whoever did this, must have really hated this person 233 00:16:32,503 --> 00:16:34,070 to treat him in this way. 234 00:16:34,105 --> 00:16:36,652 This treatment reflects, 235 00:16:36,687 --> 00:16:40,786 not only what the Anglo-Saxon population feels about the Vikings, 236 00:16:40,821 --> 00:16:44,020 but also what the Vikings did to the local population. 237 00:16:44,055 --> 00:16:47,368 - So this is revenge, basically. - This is revenge. 238 00:16:52,059 --> 00:16:55,116 Here is a vivid picture of a violent death. 239 00:16:55,151 --> 00:16:57,966 A gruesome expression of the hatred of the time. 240 00:17:09,949 --> 00:17:13,056 But this man, who was so brutally butchered, 241 00:17:13,091 --> 00:17:15,158 and who was lay to rest with his companions 242 00:17:15,193 --> 00:17:17,704 at the shadow of the church that they'd desecrated, 243 00:17:17,739 --> 00:17:21,960 is not the only evidence from Repton for the Viking dead. 244 00:17:28,301 --> 00:17:31,216 Just two miles away, in the hills near the village, 245 00:17:31,251 --> 00:17:33,463 around 60 other mounds have been found, 246 00:17:33,498 --> 00:17:36,764 which point to more pagan Viking burials. 247 00:17:38,151 --> 00:17:42,301 Over the years the occasional artifact has been uncovered here, 248 00:17:42,336 --> 00:17:46,893 like this sword with human bone burnt onto it. 249 00:17:52,011 --> 00:17:54,545 Prompted by the discoveries in Repton, 250 00:17:54,580 --> 00:17:58,202 archaeologists have decided to find out what else might be here. 251 00:17:58,237 --> 00:18:01,110 The excavation is being run by a man who I met before 252 00:18:01,145 --> 00:18:05,666 in a confusion over a hotel booking at an archaeological conference. 253 00:18:05,701 --> 00:18:08,430 - Hello, Julian. - Hello, Julian. 254 00:18:08,465 --> 00:18:12,411 It's my namesake, Dr. Julian D. Richards. 255 00:18:12,446 --> 00:18:15,357 Yes, in fact there are two mounds here. 256 00:18:15,392 --> 00:18:18,655 This large one that we've nearly completely excavated 257 00:18:18,690 --> 00:18:22,115 and then a smaller mound to the south of it.* 258 00:18:22,155 --> 00:18:24,961 Unlike the Biddles mound at the church, 259 00:18:24,996 --> 00:18:27,420 these are not yielding complete skeletons. 260 00:18:27,455 --> 00:18:31,238 Instead, there's evidence of a very different burial rite. 261 00:18:31,273 --> 00:18:34,487 There's lines of charcoal isn't there? 262 00:18:34,522 --> 00:18:37,599 That's right. It's just coming up where we're trowing here. 263 00:18:37,634 --> 00:18:40,416 You can see it's starting to show through. 264 00:18:44,124 --> 00:18:48,112 The charcoal suggests that the bodies were cremated before burial. 265 00:18:48,147 --> 00:18:51,581 A practice common amongst pagan Vikings at the time. 266 00:18:59,561 --> 00:19:03,882 Some important clues to who these people were have survived the burning. 267 00:19:03,917 --> 00:19:05,768 Like this Viking ringpin 268 00:19:05,803 --> 00:19:08,868 that would once have fastened a Viking's cloak. 269 00:19:10,609 --> 00:19:15,106 But it doesn't necessarily mean that these people were part of the Great Army. 270 00:19:18,838 --> 00:19:22,805 If these really are the burial mounds of part of the Viking army, 271 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:26,529 then why is it that on top of this hill they're cremating their dead 272 00:19:26,564 --> 00:19:29,354 and then raising a mound over the funeral pyre, 273 00:19:29,389 --> 00:19:32,025 whereas down in the valley they're burying their dead 274 00:19:32,060 --> 00:19:34,652 in the grounds of a Christian church? 275 00:19:34,687 --> 00:19:38,237 I think it would be just too big a coincidence 276 00:19:38,272 --> 00:19:42,647 to have these very significant, very unusual, Viking sites 277 00:19:42,682 --> 00:19:47,821 within just a few kilometers of another and not to be associated. 278 00:19:47,856 --> 00:19:53,490 So we have one group of Vikings choosing to bury their dead at Repton 279 00:19:53,525 --> 00:19:57,745 another group choosing to go back to a very pagan cremation, 280 00:19:57,780 --> 00:20:01,329 animal sacrifice burial rite on the hilltop overlooking it. 281 00:20:01,364 --> 00:20:05,417 I think this relates to divisions within the Viking camp. 282 00:20:08,479 --> 00:20:12,183 Although there's no direct evidence to back up Julian's theory 283 00:20:12,218 --> 00:20:16,129 if, as he believes, they represent two rival factions of Vikings, 284 00:20:16,164 --> 00:20:20,218 it could help to explain what the monks reported next. 285 00:20:23,763 --> 00:20:28,851 874. The Viking army left Repton and split up into two bands. 286 00:20:28,886 --> 00:20:33,647 One band, under Halfdan, set up for the province of the Northumbrians. 287 00:20:37,518 --> 00:20:42,775 875. Halfdan shared the whole province between himself and his men 288 00:20:42,810 --> 00:20:46,061 and together with his army cultivated the land. 289 00:20:47,139 --> 00:20:51,730 This marks the beginning of a whole new phase of the Viking age in England. 290 00:20:51,765 --> 00:20:54,441 It's the first time that the Chronicles make any reference 291 00:20:54,476 --> 00:20:57,984 to the Vikings settling down and farming. 292 00:21:01,989 --> 00:21:06,856 In the spring of 874, while Halfdan's band were heading to Northumbria, 293 00:21:06,891 --> 00:21:10,031 the other group lead by Guthrum headed south. 294 00:21:10,066 --> 00:21:14,259 Their mission, to smash the Wessex Saxons. 295 00:21:15,303 --> 00:21:18,970 They must have fancied their chances against the Saxons' young king. 296 00:21:19,005 --> 00:21:21,606 His name was Alfred. 297 00:21:24,414 --> 00:21:28,389 For four years, the Viking army battled its way through Wessex. 298 00:21:28,424 --> 00:21:31,341 The Saxons were on the run. 299 00:21:31,376 --> 00:21:36,158 To win power, the Vikings needed Alfred dead or alive. 300 00:21:37,392 --> 00:21:39,854 But Alfred evaded capture. 301 00:21:39,889 --> 00:21:43,588 He ran away and lived deep in the Somerset Marshes. 302 00:21:44,081 --> 00:21:47,142 Where he disguised himself as a peasant. 303 00:21:47,177 --> 00:21:50,911 Our most famous legend of Alfred comes from this time. 304 00:21:50,946 --> 00:21:53,970 He'd been given shelter in a swineherd's hut. 305 00:21:55,292 --> 00:21:58,660 The swineherd's wife left him watching some cakes baking on the fire 306 00:21:58,695 --> 00:22:01,864 but, perhaps lost in thought of his threatened kingdom, 307 00:22:01,899 --> 00:22:03,859 Alfred let them burn. 308 00:22:05,338 --> 00:22:07,986 Unaware that she was talking to King Alfred 309 00:22:08,021 --> 00:22:10,727 the woman gave him a good scolding. 310 00:22:12,348 --> 00:22:15,070 The king was at his lowest ebb. 311 00:22:16,530 --> 00:22:19,915 We'll never know how Alfred managed to recover from these depths 312 00:22:19,950 --> 00:22:23,440 to raise an army and face the Vikings head to head. 313 00:22:23,475 --> 00:22:27,362 But we do know that the decisive battle was Edington. 314 00:22:27,397 --> 00:22:30,952 I'm met on Salisbury plain, the likely battle site, 315 00:22:30,987 --> 00:22:34,394 by my guide, a local military expert. 316 00:22:34,429 --> 00:22:37,123 Alfred would be keeping to the low ground 317 00:22:37,158 --> 00:22:40,312 and not trying to expose himself too much. 318 00:22:40,347 --> 00:22:43,525 But Guthrum would have been sticking on the high ground 319 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,161 to be able to observe his movement. 320 00:22:46,196 --> 00:22:49,226 And then, of course, Alfred would have to break cover 321 00:22:49,261 --> 00:22:52,754 and form into battle to meet him. 322 00:22:57,817 --> 00:23:01,948 And then they would have formed, somewhere on one of these ridges up here, 323 00:23:01,983 --> 00:23:06,569 a line of breast shields interlocked. 324 00:23:10,467 --> 00:23:13,004 And they would have come against each other 325 00:23:13,039 --> 00:23:17,245 shouting ruderies, banging their shields with their swords. 326 00:23:25,401 --> 00:23:29,372 And then there would have been an absolute hand-to-hand clash. 327 00:23:29,407 --> 00:23:34,125 Brutal, rough, vicious fighting. 328 00:23:39,929 --> 00:23:42,850 So this really was the showdown, was it? 329 00:23:42,885 --> 00:23:45,943 Absolutely. It was totally the showdown 330 00:23:45,978 --> 00:23:50,521 and the advantage, of course, Alfred had was that he probably had more troops. 331 00:23:54,379 --> 00:23:57,518 At length, he gained the victory through God's will. 332 00:23:57,553 --> 00:24:00,528 He destroyed the Vikings with great slaughter 333 00:24:00,563 --> 00:24:03,840 and pursued them hacking them down. 334 00:24:12,955 --> 00:24:15,784 It's largely because of his great victory against the Vikings 335 00:24:15,819 --> 00:24:18,117 that Alfred is known as 'the Great'. 336 00:24:18,152 --> 00:24:20,270 But it's also for the way that he improved 337 00:24:20,305 --> 00:24:23,166 the organisation and learning within his kingdom. 338 00:24:23,201 --> 00:24:25,268 Our son's school in the heart of Wessex 339 00:24:25,303 --> 00:24:28,013 is just one that's named in his honour. 340 00:24:40,462 --> 00:24:43,173 Simon, what would have happened if Alfred had lost? 341 00:24:43,208 --> 00:24:47,335 Yes, I can barely bear to think of what the consequence would have been. 342 00:24:47,370 --> 00:24:49,736 But certainly it would have involved 343 00:24:49,771 --> 00:24:54,958 a much larger spread of the Vikings into Wessex 344 00:24:54,993 --> 00:24:59,545 and the consequences for the English would have been quite different. 345 00:24:59,580 --> 00:25:02,551 Pr. Simon Keynes has translated the peace treaty 346 00:25:02,586 --> 00:25:05,456 that was drawn up after that decisive battle. 347 00:25:05,491 --> 00:25:12,896 This is the earliest surviving manuscript of the treaty between Alfred and Guthrum. 348 00:25:12,931 --> 00:25:18,341 This is a very important moment in Anglo-Saxon political history. 349 00:25:18,376 --> 00:25:23,829 The treaty shows that Alfred's victory was not as complete as it's often described. 350 00:25:23,864 --> 00:25:27,204 Far from being able to banish the Vikings back to Denmark, 351 00:25:27,239 --> 00:25:29,883 Alfred found it necessary to do a deal with them 352 00:25:29,918 --> 00:25:32,757 and carve England in two. 353 00:25:32,792 --> 00:25:35,860 The text goes straight on to describe this: 354 00:25:35,895 --> 00:25:42,053 "'Ærest ymb ure landgemæra:' First concerning our boundaries, 355 00:25:42,088 --> 00:25:44,339 and then it goes, "up the Thames 356 00:25:44,374 --> 00:25:49,163 "and then up the Lea and along the Lea unto its source". 357 00:25:50,178 --> 00:25:53,184 The boundary between Alfred's land and the Vikings' 358 00:25:53,219 --> 00:25:55,929 ran from east of London to near Chester. 359 00:25:55,964 --> 00:25:59,660 Alfred's compromise with the Vikings ensured a period of stability 360 00:25:59,695 --> 00:26:03,405 and, importantly, time to build up his defences. 361 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,150 So although he accepted Viking rule in the north, 362 00:26:06,185 --> 00:26:10,302 he still managed to enlarge his own territory to include part of Mercia. 363 00:26:10,337 --> 00:26:13,091 Guthrum became king of East Anglia 364 00:26:13,126 --> 00:26:16,210 but he was forced to accept Christianity. 365 00:26:16,245 --> 00:26:20,941 When Alfred signed the treaty he was acknowledging for the first time 366 00:26:20,976 --> 00:26:23,317 that the Vikings were here to stay. 367 00:26:23,352 --> 00:26:26,726 The area north of the boundary that he'd agreed with Guthrum 368 00:26:26,761 --> 00:26:29,220 was to become known as the 'Danelaw'. 369 00:26:29,255 --> 00:26:32,290 But, just how Viking was it? 370 00:26:32,325 --> 00:26:35,193 A big problem is that the historical record for Northern England 371 00:26:35,228 --> 00:26:36,985 now comes to a halt. 372 00:26:37,020 --> 00:26:40,712 The Vikings destroyed monasteries and with them, their written records. 373 00:26:40,747 --> 00:26:43,351 It was complete media blackout. 374 00:26:46,206 --> 00:26:50,861 But one important piece of evidence that has survived is place names. 375 00:26:50,896 --> 00:26:56,872 To start with, there are over 850 place names in England that end in 'by'. 376 00:26:56,907 --> 00:27:00,604 That's the old Danish name ending for 'farmstead' or 'village'. 377 00:27:00,639 --> 00:27:04,447 Places like Selby and Derby, for example. 378 00:27:06,351 --> 00:27:09,905 Add to this those place names that have got other Scandinavian endings 379 00:27:09,940 --> 00:27:12,308 like 'thwaite' and 'thorpe'. 380 00:27:12,343 --> 00:27:15,294 And those that combine a Viking name with a Saxon ending 381 00:27:15,329 --> 00:27:17,396 like 'Grimston' for example. 382 00:27:17,431 --> 00:27:19,696 And you end up with over 3,000 383 00:27:19,731 --> 00:27:22,773 Scandinavian-influenced place names in England. 384 00:27:33,856 --> 00:27:37,286 When the 'by' place names are plotted on a map of England 385 00:27:37,321 --> 00:27:40,947 they fit in almost perfectly with the area of the Danelaw. 386 00:27:41,962 --> 00:27:44,749 This is strong evidence that the Vikings had a big impact 387 00:27:44,784 --> 00:27:46,852 in northern and eastern England. 388 00:27:46,887 --> 00:27:50,120 And if these places really are where the Vikings settled, 389 00:27:50,155 --> 00:27:53,850 then I should be able to find archaeological evidence to back this up. 390 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:56,348 But until recently, 391 00:27:56,383 --> 00:28:00,171 no clear signs of a Viking settlement had ever been discovered. 392 00:28:00,206 --> 00:28:02,805 It's something that's puzzled historians for decades. 393 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:05,292 But new evidence is starting to emerge, 394 00:28:05,327 --> 00:28:09,609 and it comes, not from archaeologists, but from amateur enthusiasts. 395 00:28:14,164 --> 00:28:16,670 It's difficult to describe an emotion. 396 00:28:16,705 --> 00:28:20,434 It's just a buzz to think that I've got something that 397 00:28:20,469 --> 00:28:26,134 was lost all those years ago. It's just a buzz. 398 00:28:28,765 --> 00:28:33,102 So when I pick an object up I really get a sense of connexion 399 00:28:33,137 --> 00:28:36,612 to the person that owned it and lost it. 400 00:28:37,549 --> 00:28:42,691 The best thing I have found recently it was a Viking harness pendant 401 00:28:42,726 --> 00:28:46,587 with two stylized serpents swallowing their own tails. 402 00:28:46,622 --> 00:28:50,403 I remember very clearly the first Viking object I ever found. 403 00:28:50,438 --> 00:28:52,929 It was just in the middle of a ploughed field, 404 00:28:52,964 --> 00:28:55,743 it was a lovely trefoil strap distributor, 405 00:28:55,778 --> 00:28:58,561 and as soon as I unearthed it I knew what it was 406 00:28:58,596 --> 00:29:01,242 and I just sat there, gave out a yell, 407 00:29:01,277 --> 00:29:04,341 and sat there cheering in the middle of the muddy ploughed field. 408 00:29:04,376 --> 00:29:09,399 To actually hold of a Viking artifact would mean 409 00:29:09,434 --> 00:29:14,003 that I'm taking myself back in history, back in time... 410 00:29:14,038 --> 00:29:19,281 to when the Vikings probably first came here. 411 00:29:19,316 --> 00:29:21,388 They may be plundering a village. 412 00:29:21,423 --> 00:29:23,576 They may be having a fight 413 00:29:23,611 --> 00:29:27,055 and they've lost whatever it is that I've found. 414 00:29:27,090 --> 00:29:33,469 And a very interesting Viking buckle, just complete with its iron tongue, 415 00:29:33,504 --> 00:29:36,051 that is a very unique one. 416 00:29:36,086 --> 00:29:40,466 As an archaeologist, I've got very mixed feelings about metal detecting. 417 00:29:40,501 --> 00:29:43,320 I've seen the damage that it can do to ancient sites, 418 00:29:43,355 --> 00:29:47,025 and personally, I feel that the only people that should dig up artifacts 419 00:29:47,060 --> 00:29:50,375 are those who are going to make sure that they end up in a museum. 420 00:29:50,410 --> 00:29:55,103 But having said this, I can't deny that objects of Viking date 421 00:29:55,138 --> 00:29:58,410 excavated, recorded properly, reported to museums 422 00:29:58,445 --> 00:30:00,166 have made an enormous difference 423 00:30:00,201 --> 00:30:02,490 to our understanding of this period. 424 00:30:04,576 --> 00:30:09,073 A new scheme designed to encourage metal detectorists to declare their finds 425 00:30:09,108 --> 00:30:12,851 has yielded hundreds of Viking artifacts from the Danelaw. 426 00:30:16,249 --> 00:30:19,761 Dr Kevin Leahey from North-Lincolnshire Museum, 427 00:30:19,796 --> 00:30:23,002 believes that they have a very important story to tell. 428 00:30:23,037 --> 00:30:26,809 Until recently, until these detector finds started to come out, 429 00:30:26,844 --> 00:30:31,433 it could be seriously argued that all we saw in 877 430 00:30:31,468 --> 00:30:33,631 was a change in leadership. 431 00:30:33,666 --> 00:30:36,812 That the leaders of the Great Army came in and took over, 432 00:30:36,847 --> 00:30:38,764 they just sacked the bosses and took over 433 00:30:38,799 --> 00:30:44,194 the running of Lincolnshire themselves and there was no folk movement. 434 00:30:44,229 --> 00:30:47,775 Now we're getting good evidence for a movement of people. 435 00:30:47,810 --> 00:30:52,987 And this pattern of Viking finds corresponds fairly well 436 00:30:53,022 --> 00:30:56,007 with the distribution of Danish place names, 437 00:30:56,042 --> 00:30:59,980 all the "by's" and "thorpe's" that we've got in Lincolnshire. 438 00:31:00,015 --> 00:31:03,177 It's the everyday objects that are getting Kevin excited. 439 00:31:03,212 --> 00:31:07,052 Small metal fittings, broaches, things like that 440 00:31:07,087 --> 00:31:08,824 that were worn by Danish women, 441 00:31:08,859 --> 00:31:13,751 and we are sure they were worn by Danish peasant women 442 00:31:13,786 --> 00:31:16,802 because they're such poor quality they wouldn't be acceptable 443 00:31:16,837 --> 00:31:18,596 to an Anglo-Saxon woman. 444 00:31:18,631 --> 00:31:21,420 No Dane is going to come over here 445 00:31:21,455 --> 00:31:24,241 and give a little broach like this to his English girlfriend 446 00:31:24,276 --> 00:31:26,647 and expect her to be impressed. 447 00:31:26,682 --> 00:31:29,950 The woman who wore this little broach was making a statement, you know, 448 00:31:29,985 --> 00:31:34,068 about her Danish ancestry, about her cultural links. 449 00:31:34,103 --> 00:31:38,638 This sort of poor quality metalwork doesn't really travel between cultures. 450 00:31:38,673 --> 00:31:41,984 Are these objects changing our whole picture of Viking settlement, then? 451 00:31:42,019 --> 00:31:44,413 It was a real folk movement. 452 00:31:44,448 --> 00:31:52,462 But not just a wholesale uprooting of people leaving Denmark absolutely empty. 453 00:31:52,497 --> 00:31:55,793 We now have a picture of Danish Viking invaders 454 00:31:55,828 --> 00:31:57,589 bringing their women with them, 455 00:31:57,624 --> 00:31:59,420 perhaps settling down. 456 00:31:59,455 --> 00:32:02,744 But where are their houses and their farms? 457 00:32:03,610 --> 00:32:05,203 A couple of years ago 458 00:32:05,238 --> 00:32:08,304 detectorists searching a remote area of north Yorkshire 459 00:32:08,339 --> 00:32:12,959 turned up a small cluster of unusual Scandinavian-style objects. 460 00:32:14,985 --> 00:32:16,917 A geophysical survey of the area 461 00:32:16,952 --> 00:32:20,088 revealed what looked like the outline of buildings. 462 00:32:20,123 --> 00:32:25,238 Their investigation was another task for Dr Julian D. Richards. 463 00:32:32,727 --> 00:32:34,000 And we moved northwards, 464 00:32:34,035 --> 00:32:37,230 we moved and put a trench in the direction over here where we're going. 465 00:32:37,265 --> 00:32:40,152 - ... on the crest of the ridge? - On the crest of the hill. That's right. 466 00:32:40,187 --> 00:32:45,064 And here we found what we think is an Anglo-Scandinavian farmstead, 467 00:32:45,099 --> 00:32:46,808 a Viking settlement. 468 00:32:46,843 --> 00:32:51,069 It had a massive entrance way looking to the south, 469 00:32:51,104 --> 00:32:54,460 looking down this valley over there. 470 00:32:55,612 --> 00:33:01,198 And this had a huge ditch with a bank behind it, 471 00:33:01,233 --> 00:33:05,670 probably a palisade on top of that, probably a wooden gate house as well. 472 00:33:05,705 --> 00:33:08,636 Surely this wouldn't have been the only farmstead in the area, would it? 473 00:33:08,671 --> 00:33:10,271 No, I think there would have been lots of 474 00:33:10,306 --> 00:33:12,021 Anglo-Scandinavian settlement around here, 475 00:33:12,056 --> 00:33:14,669 probably one every mile for that matter. 476 00:33:14,704 --> 00:33:16,722 So, how many of these do we know about, then? 477 00:33:16,757 --> 00:33:19,880 We don't know about any others, this is unique. 478 00:33:19,915 --> 00:33:22,700 And the Vikings do seem to be invisible. 479 00:33:23,254 --> 00:33:26,830 At last, some evidence for a Viking village. 480 00:33:26,865 --> 00:33:30,217 But perhaps they preferred to live in towns. 481 00:33:30,252 --> 00:33:33,865 My next stop is York, which according to the history books, 482 00:33:33,900 --> 00:33:37,047 was a major power-base for the kings of the Danelaw. 483 00:33:37,082 --> 00:33:39,318 And the city is full of Viking names - 484 00:33:39,353 --> 00:33:41,154 roads ending in 'gate', 485 00:33:41,377 --> 00:33:44,757 the Scandinavian word 'gata', meaning 'street'. 486 00:33:44,980 --> 00:33:47,442 In the 70's, on Copper Gate, 487 00:33:47,477 --> 00:33:51,854 archaeologists raced against time to dig for clues of Viking-age York 488 00:33:51,889 --> 00:33:55,221 before they disappeared under a new shopping centre. 489 00:34:01,121 --> 00:34:03,906 We thought that there would be Viking remains of some sort 490 00:34:03,941 --> 00:34:06,953 but the finds we've made exceeded our wildest expectations. 491 00:34:06,988 --> 00:34:09,179 This fantastic building standing 6-feet high 492 00:34:09,214 --> 00:34:11,625 and 30,500 good objects we've got, 493 00:34:11,660 --> 00:34:14,040 way beyond our best hopes. 494 00:34:15,102 --> 00:34:18,444 York provides a picture of a wealthy trading centre. 495 00:34:18,479 --> 00:34:22,207 There were exotic items like amber from the Baltic, 496 00:34:22,242 --> 00:34:24,458 and silk from the Mediterranean. 497 00:34:24,493 --> 00:34:27,229 There were dies for minting coins, 498 00:34:27,264 --> 00:34:31,012 scales, and an enormous amount of metalwork. 499 00:34:31,047 --> 00:34:34,370 York became a Viking boom town. 500 00:34:34,405 --> 00:34:38,661 But none of this evidence tells us just how many Vikings settled. 501 00:34:38,696 --> 00:34:41,781 So, can genetics answer this question? 502 00:34:52,681 --> 00:34:56,179 The BBC has joined forces with University College London 503 00:34:56,214 --> 00:34:58,468 to collect DNA samples from volunteers 504 00:34:58,503 --> 00:35:01,699 across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. 505 00:35:03,609 --> 00:35:06,555 In a pioneering survey, they'll be searching for signs 506 00:35:06,590 --> 00:35:10,377 of Viking genetic inheritance in the male Y chromosome. 507 00:35:10,918 --> 00:35:14,697 The DNA from Britain and Ireland will be compared to other samples 508 00:35:14,732 --> 00:35:17,533 taken in the Viking Scandinavian homelands 509 00:35:17,568 --> 00:35:19,577 and in northern Europe. 510 00:35:19,612 --> 00:35:22,158 And you don't have to look far to find people 511 00:35:22,193 --> 00:35:24,565 with theories about their Viking ancestry. 512 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:29,591 The name 'Rimmer' is derived from 'riemer' which is Norse for a leather worker. 513 00:35:29,626 --> 00:35:32,154 And curiously enough I trained as a saddler, 514 00:35:32,189 --> 00:35:35,053 and my dad was a leather worker as well. 515 00:35:39,291 --> 00:35:43,730 DNA can be extracted from cells scraped from the inside of the cheek. 516 00:35:43,765 --> 00:35:47,723 But in England the scientists have teemed up with the national blood service 517 00:35:47,758 --> 00:35:51,454 to increase the numbers of volunteers giving samples. 518 00:35:55,711 --> 00:35:59,321 The team will try and find out if the Vikings settled in large numbers 519 00:35:59,356 --> 00:36:00,854 and where. 520 00:36:00,889 --> 00:36:03,770 It's something that's never been achieved before. 521 00:36:05,021 --> 00:36:07,256 Just from the place name, 522 00:36:07,291 --> 00:36:09,565 you of course don't know what happened in terms of the people. 523 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,760 You can imagine an elite group coming into an area 524 00:36:12,795 --> 00:36:15,587 declaring the name of the place whatever they wanted it to be. 525 00:36:15,622 --> 00:36:18,998 It doesn't mean that they brought an awful lot of people with them. 526 00:36:19,033 --> 00:36:22,236 And I think, fundamentally, that's why archaeologists and historians 527 00:36:22,271 --> 00:36:24,654 have been fighting so long about this questions. 528 00:36:24,689 --> 00:36:28,505 Because it really just is hard to know what went on in terms of the people 529 00:36:28,540 --> 00:36:32,379 from the little bit of cultural information that remains. 530 00:36:32,414 --> 00:36:36,889 But, in principle, we can get at that question directly using genetics. 531 00:36:36,924 --> 00:36:40,026 So it really does simply open up a new perspective 532 00:36:40,061 --> 00:36:44,202 into what is an old and very difficult debate to resolve. 533 00:36:44,918 --> 00:36:47,701 But Goldstein's team have had a setback. 534 00:36:47,736 --> 00:36:51,878 While there are clear genetic patterns which distinguish the Norwegian Vikings 535 00:36:51,913 --> 00:36:53,769 from other groups in Northern Europe, 536 00:36:53,804 --> 00:36:58,550 it's not been possible to distinguish Danish Vikings quite so uniquely. 537 00:37:01,540 --> 00:37:04,241 Three centuries before the Vikings arrived 538 00:37:04,276 --> 00:37:07,444 Britain was invaded by two other groups of Europeans - 539 00:37:07,479 --> 00:37:09,793 the Angles and the Saxons. 540 00:37:09,828 --> 00:37:11,658 Both came from virtually next-door 541 00:37:11,693 --> 00:37:14,430 to what would become the Danish Viking homeland. 542 00:37:14,465 --> 00:37:16,266 And it's proving tricky to separate 543 00:37:16,301 --> 00:37:19,151 these three groups of invaders genetically. 544 00:37:19,186 --> 00:37:21,892 But at least they seem to have a different genetic signature 545 00:37:21,927 --> 00:37:23,774 from the indigenous population - 546 00:37:23,809 --> 00:37:25,763 the native Britons. 547 00:37:25,798 --> 00:37:27,621 Although we haven't been able so far 548 00:37:27,656 --> 00:37:30,541 to distinguish the Danish and Anglo-Saxon contributions 549 00:37:30,576 --> 00:37:32,113 we have been able to learn something 550 00:37:32,148 --> 00:37:34,816 about the genetic history of England anyway, 551 00:37:34,851 --> 00:37:38,981 because what we can do is just lump together the Danes and the Anglo-Saxons 552 00:37:39,016 --> 00:37:41,421 and consider those as invaders in England. 553 00:37:41,456 --> 00:37:42,806 And then we can ask the question, 554 00:37:42,841 --> 00:37:46,294 what proportion of England comes from that invading population, 555 00:37:46,329 --> 00:37:48,235 and what proportion is indigenous? 556 00:37:49,242 --> 00:37:52,050 So if we lump together all the invaders - 557 00:37:52,085 --> 00:37:54,467 the Vikings, the Angles and the Saxons - 558 00:37:54,502 --> 00:37:56,330 what do we find? 559 00:37:56,365 --> 00:37:59,070 Then we can see immediate patterns in England 560 00:37:59,105 --> 00:38:03,774 and, in particular, when we look in the general area of the Danelaw, 561 00:38:03,809 --> 00:38:07,211 there's greater contributions from these invading populations 562 00:38:07,246 --> 00:38:10,199 in comparison with areas farther south. 563 00:38:11,603 --> 00:38:14,437 So we can see some very clear patterns in England 564 00:38:14,472 --> 00:38:18,198 that tell us something about its genetic history that wasn't known before. 565 00:38:18,233 --> 00:38:19,986 So, this is all new stuff, then? 566 00:38:20,021 --> 00:38:21,566 This is all new. This is very interesting 567 00:38:21,601 --> 00:38:24,208 that we've got this pattern straight away. 568 00:38:25,471 --> 00:38:28,433 So the people who lived in the north and east of England 569 00:38:28,468 --> 00:38:30,936 have more Viking and Anglo-Saxon in their blood 570 00:38:30,971 --> 00:38:33,748 than those who lived in the south and west. 571 00:38:33,783 --> 00:38:37,317 It's extraordinary that the genetic trace of these invaders 572 00:38:37,352 --> 00:38:39,204 is still observable today, 573 00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:43,387 over 1,500 years after the first of them landed. 574 00:38:47,367 --> 00:38:51,085 Although the Danish Vikings had made themselves at home in the Danelaw, 575 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:54,317 the peace between Viking and Saxon was uneasy. 576 00:38:54,352 --> 00:38:56,965 Sporadic fighting with Wessex resumed. 577 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,791 And 20 years after the signing of the peace treaty, 578 00:38:59,826 --> 00:39:02,962 the Saxons were threatening to overrun the Danelaw. 579 00:39:11,486 --> 00:39:14,488 But then something to re-ignite the power struggle. 580 00:39:14,523 --> 00:39:19,807 In 902, the Viking kings of Dublin were suddenly kicked out by the Irish. 581 00:39:19,842 --> 00:39:22,169 They headed for England. 582 00:39:22,204 --> 00:39:25,612 Once more the Vikings were a force to be reckoned with. 583 00:39:25,647 --> 00:39:28,518 Only this time, they weren't Danes. 584 00:39:28,553 --> 00:39:30,565 The heathens described in the Irish Annals 585 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:33,022 were of Norwegian origin. 586 00:39:34,367 --> 00:39:36,975 The Norwegian Vikings had taken the sea road 587 00:39:37,010 --> 00:39:40,782 around the northern and western isles of Scotland to Ireland. 588 00:39:40,817 --> 00:39:44,764 Dublin was a major trading post and the centre of their power. 589 00:39:44,799 --> 00:39:47,736 So, what happened when they got kicked out? 590 00:39:48,769 --> 00:39:52,773 A clue was found on the route from Norwegian-Viking Dublin 591 00:39:52,808 --> 00:39:55,040 to Danish-Viking York. 592 00:39:55,075 --> 00:39:56,802 At Cuerdale. 593 00:39:58,851 --> 00:40:02,076 It was here in 1840 that a group of workmen 594 00:40:02,111 --> 00:40:04,280 were repairing the banks of the Ribble. 595 00:40:04,315 --> 00:40:08,871 As they dug their spades crunched into something metallic. 596 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:20,767 They discovered an astonishing 8,500 pieces of silver 597 00:40:20,802 --> 00:40:22,970 weighing nearly 40 kilos. 598 00:40:23,005 --> 00:40:25,553 They'd stumbled across what is still to this day 599 00:40:25,588 --> 00:40:29,222 the largest hoard of Viking treasure ever found. 600 00:40:30,991 --> 00:40:33,590 It dates to the beginning of the 900's. 601 00:40:33,625 --> 00:40:37,323 Exactly when the Vikings were being expelled from Dublin. 602 00:40:37,990 --> 00:40:43,182 The leading authority in the Cuerdale hoard is Pr. James Graham-Campbell. 603 00:40:43,843 --> 00:40:48,511 The single, largest component of the ornamented material in the hoard 604 00:40:48,546 --> 00:40:51,971 is of what we call Hyberno-Viking* origin, 605 00:40:52,006 --> 00:40:55,586 made by Viking craftsmen working in Ireland. 606 00:40:55,621 --> 00:41:00,487 Most particularly, these very characteristic broad-band arm-rings 607 00:41:00,522 --> 00:41:03,608 that have this very bold stamping. 608 00:41:14,328 --> 00:41:17,089 Who were these people? Who were the people who buried it? 609 00:41:17,124 --> 00:41:20,725 It's more than an ordinary merchant's hoard 610 00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:27,193 or the pay of a Viking crew member. 611 00:41:28,359 --> 00:41:31,781 I quite fancy the old theory that it was in some way 612 00:41:31,816 --> 00:41:33,775 an army pay chest. 613 00:41:33,810 --> 00:41:38,524 And that it was related with the attempts of the Vikings 614 00:41:38,559 --> 00:41:42,163 who had been expelled from Viking Dublin to build up their resources. 615 00:41:42,198 --> 00:41:44,215 That's the general context 616 00:41:44,250 --> 00:41:49,444 in which one could envisage this sort of accumulation of silver 617 00:41:49,479 --> 00:41:52,151 arriving in north-west England. 618 00:41:54,186 --> 00:41:58,841 The Cuerdale hoard contained silver from as far away as the Hindu Kush. 619 00:41:58,876 --> 00:42:00,577 But what caught my attention 620 00:42:00,612 --> 00:42:04,635 was a beautifully preserved group of coins from Viking York. 621 00:42:07,410 --> 00:42:10,025 If a lot of this material seems to have come from Ireland, 622 00:42:10,060 --> 00:42:13,009 how do you explain the coins from Viking York? 623 00:42:13,044 --> 00:42:16,984 I mean, was this the York Vikings giving a donation to these people 624 00:42:16,996 --> 00:42:18,682 to help them in their efforts? 625 00:42:18,717 --> 00:42:21,385 Well, it wouldn't surprise me that was the explanation 626 00:42:21,420 --> 00:42:25,101 because so many of the York coins 627 00:42:25,136 --> 00:42:29,878 have come freshly from the moneyers' workshops. 628 00:42:29,913 --> 00:42:31,897 They can never have been in circulation. 629 00:42:31,932 --> 00:42:36,296 This one here, for instance, you can see how fresh it is. 630 00:42:41,776 --> 00:42:46,828 The Cuerdale hoard is more than simply an amazing find of Viking treasure. 631 00:42:46,863 --> 00:42:50,630 It seems to be saying something to us about the politics of the time. 632 00:42:50,665 --> 00:42:53,063 Vikings raising money for arms. 633 00:42:53,098 --> 00:42:55,889 Norwegians and Danes forming an alliance. 634 00:42:55,924 --> 00:42:58,827 Ominous for their enemies. 635 00:43:01,126 --> 00:43:05,596 Apart from the hoard, archaeological records for the period are sparse. 636 00:43:05,631 --> 00:43:07,528 But there is one piece of evidence 637 00:43:07,563 --> 00:43:11,639 that's been staring us in the face for centuries. 638 00:43:12,801 --> 00:43:15,371 The Norwegians who came via Ireland 639 00:43:15,406 --> 00:43:18,998 have left their mark in stone across the northern Danelaw. 640 00:43:19,033 --> 00:43:23,428 Ancient images that still speak to us of Viking power. 641 00:43:29,874 --> 00:43:34,002 Hundreds of pieces have been identified across northern England. 642 00:43:37,707 --> 00:43:41,999 Their study has been a life's work for Professor Richard Bailey. 643 00:43:44,029 --> 00:43:46,418 These massive sculptures called 'hogbacks' 644 00:43:46,453 --> 00:43:48,799 were set over Viking-period tombs. 645 00:43:48,834 --> 00:43:51,238 There's about 120 of them in the north of England. 646 00:43:51,273 --> 00:43:54,889 So rather than setting up a cross this is more like a gravestone. 647 00:43:54,924 --> 00:43:58,046 That's right. Yes. And the shape is that of a Viking house actually. 648 00:43:58,081 --> 00:44:02,427 That curved roof is exactly like we know Viking houses were in the period. 649 00:44:02,462 --> 00:44:04,454 These are very expensive monuments. 650 00:44:04,489 --> 00:44:08,831 We know they were produced between about 920 and 950. 651 00:44:08,866 --> 00:44:12,927 That's a very high number of high-status here 652 00:44:12,962 --> 00:44:16,520 who are commissioning stones which, in some sense, say, 653 00:44:16,555 --> 00:44:20,700 "Look, we are very high status-Vikings, Scandinavians." 654 00:44:23,175 --> 00:44:26,741 Many Viking sculptures seem to mix Christian symbolism 655 00:44:26,776 --> 00:44:29,429 with rather war-like images. 656 00:44:31,861 --> 00:44:35,709 What we've got here is a little warrior with his pointed helmet, 657 00:44:35,744 --> 00:44:39,027 spear down one side, battle-axe over here, 658 00:44:39,062 --> 00:44:41,926 up here a shield, a sword just here. 659 00:44:41,961 --> 00:44:44,578 So, what sort of statement were the Vikings making 660 00:44:44,613 --> 00:44:46,419 by putting up crosses like this? 661 00:44:46,454 --> 00:44:49,299 This is a real statement of power and control. 662 00:44:49,334 --> 00:44:52,371 This is me as a warrior. This is how I won the land. 663 00:44:52,406 --> 00:44:53,707 I may have been a farmer as well 664 00:44:53,963 --> 00:44:57,713 but how I and my family want to be remembered is as a warrior. 665 00:45:02,609 --> 00:45:06,118 To me, the evidence of the sculptures and the Viking place names 666 00:45:06,153 --> 00:45:10,724 suggests a formidable Viking elite controlling much of northern England. 667 00:45:10,759 --> 00:45:14,988 This was something that the Saxons would not be prepared to tolerate. 668 00:45:15,547 --> 00:45:18,409 Despite the arrival of the Norwegian Vikings, 669 00:45:18,444 --> 00:45:23,093 by 937, Alfred's grandson, Æthelstan had united England. 670 00:45:23,128 --> 00:45:25,639 But he hadn't reckoned on the Scots and the Irish 671 00:45:25,674 --> 00:45:28,114 joining forces with the Vikings. 672 00:45:28,149 --> 00:45:31,586 Their aim, to bring down Æthelstan. 673 00:45:33,983 --> 00:45:38,386 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports a huge battle between the Anglo-Saxons 674 00:45:38,421 --> 00:45:42,171 and the united forces of the Vikings and their new allies. 675 00:45:42,206 --> 00:45:44,851 It was at a place called Brunanburh. 676 00:45:45,373 --> 00:45:48,733 No one's quite sure of the location of Brunanburh. 677 00:45:48,768 --> 00:45:50,912 But some linguists have suggested 678 00:45:50,947 --> 00:45:54,528 that this old English name evolved to become Bromborough 679 00:45:54,563 --> 00:45:58,180 which happens to be the name of this small town here on the Wirral. 680 00:46:01,170 --> 00:46:03,442 The description of the battle itself 681 00:46:03,477 --> 00:46:07,794 is one of the most lurid and gripping stories of Dark-Age literature. 682 00:46:10,849 --> 00:46:15,691 "Never yet in this island was there a greater slaughter of people 683 00:46:15,726 --> 00:46:18,658 "felled by the sword edges. 684 00:46:22,389 --> 00:46:26,028 "Here, King Æthelstan, leader of warriors, 685 00:46:26,063 --> 00:46:29,875 "struck life-long glory in strife around 'Brunanburh', 686 00:46:29,910 --> 00:46:33,028 "clove the shield-wall. 687 00:46:46,603 --> 00:46:49,777 "They left behind to divide the corpses 688 00:46:49,812 --> 00:46:52,635 "the horny-beaked black raven, 689 00:46:52,670 --> 00:46:58,590 "greedy war hawk, and the wolf, grey beast of the forest. 690 00:47:03,865 --> 00:47:08,061 "Then the North men, disgraced in spirit, 691 00:47:08,096 --> 00:47:15,449 "departed in nailed boats over deep water to seek out Dublin." 692 00:47:17,898 --> 00:47:20,730 Æthelstan had taken the victory. 693 00:47:20,765 --> 00:47:24,472 The surviving Viking leaders, deserted by their allies, 694 00:47:24,507 --> 00:47:28,782 could now only hope to regain their old powerbase in York. 695 00:47:32,201 --> 00:47:35,085 After their crushing defeat at the Battle of Brunanburh, 696 00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:37,252 the Vikings were on the retreat. 697 00:47:37,287 --> 00:47:40,927 The last Viking king of York, Eric Bloodaxe, was killed in 954. 698 00:47:40,962 --> 00:47:42,987 And his death marked the beginning of a period 699 00:47:43,022 --> 00:47:46,182 in which England was united under the house of Wessex. 700 00:47:46,217 --> 00:47:48,638 But the story was far from over. 701 00:47:48,673 --> 00:47:50,307 The Vikings would be back... 702 00:47:50,342 --> 00:47:52,533 with a vengeance.