The Viking Age man from Galgedil, Denmark. About 1 000 AD
The first time I heard this story it almost sounded like a saga. But it is all true. Some 1 100 years ago there were two half- brothers living in Denmark, in the era we call the Viking period. Violent times; and the two brothers both took part in this.
One brother went over to England. He was buried in a mass grave in Oxford, together with a huge number of his Viking friends.
The other brother surely might have been abroad taking part in Viking raids; he was a quite heavy set man with a number of marks from violence/battle on his skeleton. But he died in Galgedil, Denmark, where his bones were found some 20 years ago.
His DNA was registered in the Atlas database, as was the DNA from his brother buried in Oxford.
A database with ancient DNA can produce great surprises…like a DNA match.
The skeleton in Oxford, England, had a DNA match with the skeleton in Galgedil, Denmark!!!
The family relationship between them, according to DNA, is half brothers, or uncle and nephew.
So, after 1 100 years apart the two brothers lie side by side at the National Museum in Copenhagen.
Science, saga and family joined together. Moving.
I had the honour to reconstruct one of them, the man found in Galgedil. Unfortunately the facial skeleton of the man found in Oxford was not complete, and therefore not suitable for making a reconstruction.
But this guy from Galgedil was a delight to work with. And many thanks to my superb colleague Cathrine Abrahamsson, helping me in this project.
National Museum of Denmark.
Mtu wa Enzi ya Viking kutoka Galgedil, Denmark. Mwaka wa 1000 KK, wakati wa kwanza kusikia hadithi hii, ilionekana kama hadithi ya hadithi. Lakini yote ni kweli. Miaka 100 hivi iliyopita, ndugu wawili wa kambo waliishi Denmark, katika kipindi tunachoita kipindi cha Viking. Nyakati za vurugu; na ndugu wawili wote wawili walishiriki katika hili. Ndugu mmoja alienda Uingereza. Alizikwa katika kaburi la pamoja huko Oxford, pamoja na idadi kubwa ya marafiki wake wa Viking. Ndugu mwingine alikuwa nje ya nchi akishiriki katika mashambulizi ya Viking, alikuwa mtu mzito sana na alama kadhaa za vurugu kwenye mifupa yake. Alikufa huko Galgedal, Denmark, ambako mifupa yake ilipatikana miaka 20 hivi iliyopita. DNA yake ilisajiliwa katika hifadhidata ya Atlas, kama vile DNA ya ndugu yake aliyezikwa Oxford. Hifadhidata yenye DNA ya kale yaweza kutokeza mshangao mkubwa... kama vile mechi ya DNA. Mfano wa mifupa ya Oxford, Uingereza, na ule wa Galgedi, Denmark. Kwa mujibu wa DNA, uhusiano wa familia kati yao ni ndugu wa kambo, au mjomba na mpwa. Baada ya miaka 1,100, ndugu hao wawili wamelala kando kando katika Jumba la Makumbusho la Kitaifa la Copenhagen. Sayansi, hadithi na familia ziliungana pamoja. Kuhama. Nilikuwa na heshima ya kurekebisha mmoja wao, mwanamume aliyepatikana huko Galgedil. Kwa bahati mbaya, mifupa ya uso ya mtu aliyepatikana huko Oxford haikuwa kamili, na kwa hiyo haikufaa kwa ajili ya ujenzi. Lakini mtu huyu kutoka Galgedil alikuwa furaha ya kufanya kazi naye. Na shukrani nyingi kwa mwenzangu mzuri Cathrine Abrahamsson, kunisaidia katika mradi huu. Jumba la Makumbusho la Kitaifa la Denmark.