Vikings may have sacrificed slaves to be buried with their masters.

In the 1980s, archaeologists working on the Norwegian island of Flakstad discovered and excavated ten individuals from six burials dating to between AD 550 and AD 1030. Remains from three multiple burials all contained at least one skeleton lacking its skull.

To establish the relationship between them, a team led by Elise Naumann of the University of Oslo analysed mitochondrial DNA (which is inherited from the mother) as well as nitrogen and carbon isotopes from various parts of the skeletons (including a tooth; pictured).

Credit: ELISE NAUMANN

The results suggested that individuals in the multiple burials did not share maternal ancestry, and that individuals found without skulls generally ate less meat than intact individuals in the same graves. The differences in ancestry and diet imply that the beheaded individuals might have been slaves, as has been suggested for other double burials from the Norse world.

J. Archaeol. Sci. 41, 533–540 (2013)