Medieval Graves Reveal Unexpectedly Distant Relations

Researchers at Stockholm University analyzed DNA from 142 individuals, including 60 children and young people, buried in shared graves from the late Viking Age and medieval periods in Sigtuna, Västerhus, and Fjälkinge, Sweden. The study challenges the common assumption that adults buried with children were close relatives, finding limited evidence of familial connections.

Instead, social and religious factors likely determined who was buried together. The team also determined the sex of young children whose skeletal remains didn’t reveal it, noting a pattern mirroring adult burial practices, women and girls on the north side of cemeteries, and men and boys on the south.

This suggests children were assigned gender roles even in death, potentially reflecting societal norms. Researchers also discovered a rare find at Västerhus: a scallop shell indicating a woman, dubbed Lady 56, made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Further research is needed to understand why unrelated individuals were buried together, but the findings offer new insights into medieval burial customs and beliefs.