Danish Vikings wore beaver pelts to show high status, new study shows

Danish Vikings wore beaver pelts to show high social status, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, found that Danish Vikings wore beaver pelts to show their high status. viking herald report.

Since beavers are not native to Denmark, beaver pelts were used as extravagant symbols of affluence. It was also a valuable commodity of trade in the 10th century.

In addition, expert analysis of animal remains in high-ranking tombs indicates that the Vikings also wore clothing made of squirrel and weasel skins.

symbol of high social status

According to Luise Ørsted Brandt, lead author of the study, these furs symbolized high social status.

“In the age of the Vikings, wearing exotic furs was arguably as much a visual statement of wealth and social status as high fashion is in the world today.

“This study used ancient proteins preserved in elite Danish Viking burials to provide direct evidence of the trade and use of beaver pelts,” said Oersted Brandt. rice field.

Additionally, written sources point out that pelts were an important commodity during the Viking Age. There is little direct evidence of

Previous studies often used the microscopic anatomy of ancient fur to identify species of origin. However, this method is often inaccurate.

New analysis

In a news study, a team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen analyzed the remains of animals used to furnish six high-status tombs of 10th-century Danish Vikings.

Although no ancient DNA could be recovered from the samples studied, experts were able to recover identifiable proteins using two different techniques.

The aforementioned proteins indicated that hides belonged to livestock and were used as furnishings in graves or as footwear.

Analysis of the clothing revealed it to be the fur of wild animals such as beavers, weasels and squirrels. These were worn by members of both genders.

advanced manufacturing

The findings were published in an open access journal pro swanand they support the idea that fur was used as a symbol of wealth during the Viking Age.

Since beavers are not native to Denmark, by the time the Viking Age began, beavers had become extinct in the country about 3,000 years ago, so the Vikings may have acquired their pelts through trade.

Additionally, some of the clothing from the tombs analyzed contained furs belonging to different species, suggesting that high-status individuals at the time may have wanted to show off their exotic furs.

Source: The Viking Herald / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayTravel

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