Vikings sailed with their pets
New research has revealed that when the Vikings sailed to England, they brought their horses and dogs with them.
Historians knew that Vikings owned horses and dogs because earlier research had identified animal bones at Heath Wood, a Viking burial site in Derbyshire, England. However, experts had originally believed that Viking boats were too small to carry animals as well as people, and that the Vikings had probably raided villages and stolen animals from the locals.
To find out more about the origins of the animals at the burial site, archaeologists (experts who study ancient remains to help us understand history) analysed something in the bones called strontium. Strontium is a metal that naturally exists in rocks, soil and oil. It is absorbed by plants, and when animals eat those plants the strontium shows up in their bones and teeth.
The strontium inside the bones at the burial site matched up with strontium that is found in the rock of the Baltic Shield, an area that includes Finland, Sweden and most of Norway, and is where Vikings came from. This is the first physical evidence that Vikings travelled to England with their animals.
The centuries-old animal and human remains found at Heath Wood had been buried together. Scientists believe this suggests that the animals weren’t just used as farm animals but were seen more as pets. Tessi Loeffelmann, from Durham University, told the BBC, “I find it really touching and it suggests we underestimate just how important animals were to Vikings.” Evidence also suggests that the animals belonged to Vikings who were of high social rank because the remains were found buried with valuable objects such as decorated swords. Heath Wood is the only known Viking burial site in the British Isles and is associated with the Viking Great Army, a group of warriors who invaded Britain in AD873. Scientists hope that this new research will help experts to understand more about them.