How Do You Compare to New Ancient DNA From Scandinavia?

Take a deeper look at the most recent aDNA study from Scandinavia, and see if you’re connected to any of the ancient individuals sampled.

It is Viking season again, and we are not talking about the new Netflix series ‘Vikings: Valhalla’. The new year kicked off with a brand new ancient DNA (aDNA) study from Scandinavia. These studies are some of the most popular among our customers.

Let us start off like the Netflix series, with a quick recap of the previous studies on the topic of aDNA from Viking Age Scandinavia:

• Comparing Ancient DNA Preservation in Petrous Bone and Tooth Cementum (Hansen et al. 2017)
• Ancient genomes from Iceland reveal the making of a human population (Ebenesersdóttir et al. 2018)
• Genomic and Strontium Isotope Variation Reveal Immigration Patterns in a Viking Age Town (Krzewińska et al. 2018)
• The genomic ancestry of the Scandinavian Battle Axe Culture people and their relation to the broader Corded Ware horizon (Malmström et al. 2019)
• Population genomics of the Viking world (Margaryan et al. 2020)
• The population genomic legacy of the second plague pandemic (Gopalakrishnan et al. 2022 – Data not yet available)

Most of these studies have already been analyzed by FamilyTreeDNA’s phylogenetic specialist, incorporated into the Y-DNA haplotree, and made available on the Discover reports so that anyone with a Y-DNA haplogroup can see how they are distantly related to the ancient remains from these studies.

The Newest Study in Scandinavian aDNA

The new study by Ricardo Rodríguez-Varela et al., titled “The genetic history of Scandinavia from the Roman Iron Age to the present.” The study includes 64 new archaeological samples, mostly from present-day Sweden. 35 of the ancient individuals studied were male, and thus we could analyze their Y-chromosomes and compare them with FamilyTreeDNA’s large database of high-coverage Big Y results. Additionally, the study resequenced samples from the Krzewińska et al. 2018 study about the Viking Age town Sigtuna. While we do list both Y-DNA and mtDNA, for our purposes here, we will focus on the Y-chromosome comparisons.

Many have reached out curiously about the detailed information for each sample and how they relate to Big Y testers. We will expand into more technical details in the future.

For this breakdown, we will list the location, age, Y-DNA haplogroup, mtDNA haplogroup, and any important information we found while comparing samples. We also use the Time Tree to show the samples on the Y-DNA haplotree.

The aDNA test results have high coverage, which greatly helps when comparing results. We could identify many connections between the ancient remains and present-day Big Y testers!

Iron Age Sweden

The oldest samples in the study are labeled Pre-Viking and date to the Scandinavian Iron Age (ca. 500 BCE until 800 CE). The study included six male samples from the Iron Age ringfort Sandby Borg in Öland, Sweden. Genetic genealogist and project administrator Mats Ahlgren notes that aDNA from this time period is rare because bodies were usually burned during burial, while the Sandby Borg bodies were left unburied.

Fullerö 1 (ful001)

Location: Fullerö, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 242-385 CE
Y-DNA: N-L839
mtDNA: U4c1

Lovö 2 (lov002)

Location: Viken, Lovö, Stockholm, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 475-520 CE
Y-DNA: N-L839
mtDNA: I1a1

Rombäck 1 (rtp001)

Location: Rombäck, Västernorrland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
Y-DNA: I-Y104534
mtDNA: H1b1b
Sample splits branch I-FT104476 (Y104534+/FT104476-).

Rombäck 4 (rtp004)

Location: Rombäck, Västernorrland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
Y-DNA: I-Z74
mtDNA: H1e1a

Sandby Borg 10 (snb010)

Location: Sandby Borg, Öland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
Y-DNA: I-BY47474
mtDNA: K2a
Sample splits I-BY47474 (BY47474+/FT252184-).

Sandby Borg 12 (snb012)

Location: Sandby Borg, Öland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
Y-DNA: I-FTA60857
mtDNA: H2a1
Sample shares four SNPs with an American Big Y tester and forms the branch I-FTA60857.

Sandby Borg 13 (snb013)

Location: Sandby Borg, Öland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
Y-DNA: I-BY200773
mtDNA: I1a1a
Sample shares four SNPs with a man from the United Kingdom and forms the branch

Sandby Borg 14 (snb014)

Location: Sandby Borg, Öland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
Y-DNA: N-Y4706
mtDNA: R1b

Sandby Borg 17 (snb017)

Location: Sandby Borg, Öland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
Y-DNA: N-S23232
mtDNA: H6a1a10

Sandby Borg 19 (snb019)

Location: Sandby Borg, Öland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
Y-DNA: N-L1025
mtDNA: H7b2

Alsike 1 (als001)

Location: Alsike, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 575-600 CE
Y-DNA: R-Y76425
mtDNA: H6a1a
Sample shares two SNPs with a Swedish man and forms the branch R-Y76425.

Vendel 1 (ven001)

Location: Vendel, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 560-620 CE
Y-DNA: R-BY18087
mtDNA: H

Viking Age Sweden

There are seven new samples dated to the Viking Age (793–1066 CE) in the study. The Viking Age. The study described the time period:

The Viking Age is associated with a marked increase in the flow of goods, customs, technology, and people to and from Scandinavia relative to preceding periods. One indication of migration during this period is the observation of gene flow into Scandinavia from the south, west, and east.

Alsike 15 (als015)

Location: Alsike, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 800-900 CE
Y-DNA: I-FTA4743
mtDNA: J1c5a
Sample shares three SNPs with a Swedish man and forms the branch I-FTA4743.

Enbacken 200 (enb200)

Location: Enbacken, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 893-1044 CE
Y-DNA: I-Y67256
mtDNA: H
Sample splits I-FT83454 (Y67256+/FT82454-).

Alsike 7 (als007)

Location: Alsike, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 950-1000 CE
Y-DNA: I-Y22918
mtDNA: J1b1a1b

Broby 100 (bro100)

Location: Broby bro, Såsta, Täby, Uppland, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 750-1200 CE
Y-DNA: N-S18364
mtDNA: J1c4

Görla 161 (gor161)

Location: Görla, Stockholm, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 750-1200 CE
Y-DNA: I-FTE188
mtDNA: U4a2b
Sample splits I-Z44277 and forms a branch with gor164: I-FTE188.

Görla 164 (gor164)

Location: Görla, Stockholm, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 1000-1100 CE
Y-DNA: I-FTE188
mtDNA: U4a2b
Sample splits I-Z44277 and forms a branch with gor161: I-FTE188.

Gammelbyn 872 (gam872)

Location: Gammelbyn, Börstil, Uppland, Sweden
Age: 950-1100 CE
Y-DNA: R-Y42202
mtDNA: H1a
Sample splits R-Y43130 (Y42202+/Y43130-).

Medieval Sweden

The study includes four male medieval (ca 800-1521 CE) samples from the island of Frösön, which is named after the Norse god Frey. The island is known for having the most northern runestone in the world.

The study describes the archaeological site:

The large magnate’s farm Västerhus was located on the island Frösön, Jämtland, in northwest Sweden. The lord and his family at Västerhus are believed to have served as representatives of the king and to have had a fiscal role in the region.

The churchyard has been dated from the 11th to the 14th centuries. In the churchyard, women were buried to the north of the church and men to the south, and a hierarchical social order of the buried has been assumed to reflect contemporary Norwegian laws.

Västerhus 4 (wes004)

Location: Västerhus, Jämtland, Sweden
Age: Medieval Age 1016-1262 CE
Y-DNA: R-FGC5499
mtDNA: I2

Västerhus 5 (wes005)

Location: Västerhus, Jämtland, Sweden
Age: Medieval 1016-1262 CE
Y-DNA: I-Y110522
mtDNA: V
Sample shares three SNPs with a Swedish man and forms the branch I-Y110522.

Västerhus 7 (wes007)

Location: Västerhus, Jämtland, Sweden
Age: Medieval 1016-1262 CE
Y-DNA: R-BY194095
mtDNA: H1b1
Sample shares three SNPs with a Norwegian man and forms the branch R-BY194095.

Västerhus 8 (wes008)

Location: Västerhus, Jämtland, Sweden
Age: Medieval 1016-1262 CE
Y-DNA: R-BY4152
mtDNA: H1as1a
Sample splits R-BY4148 (BY4152+/BY4148-).

Historical Naval Sweden

It is interesting to see connections to the Iron Age and Viking Age, but of course, it is virtually impossible to establish a genealogical connection to any person who lived before the historical records. So it will be very interesting to see if we can eventually find any closer Big Y connection to the samples in the study labeled “post-medieval,” which could help identify who they were.

When she was built, the Kronan Royal Warship was one of the world’s largest seagoing vessels. She was a Swedish flagship that sank in the Battle of Land in 1676 during the Scanian War.

The study includes DNA from 12 crewmen that were recovered from the remains of the shipwreck. (Note: some of them have matches that approach genealogical dates.)

Kronan 1 (kro001)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: R-FT22694
mtDNA: U5a1a1

Kronan 2 (kro002)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: R-FTC65396
mtDNA: H1a2
Sample shares two SNPs with an Estonian man and forms the branch R-FTC65396.

Kronan 4 (kro004)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: I-Y37111
mtDNA: K2a3

Kronan 6 (kro006)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: N-CTS3103
mtDNA: U5a2a1e

Kronan 8 (kro008)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: I-DF29
mtDNA: H6c

Kronan 9 (kro009)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: R-FGC45993
mtDNA: H5u1

Kronan 10 (kro010)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: R-YP392
mtDNA: H11a

Kronan 11 (kro011)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: I-Y139559
mtDNA: U1a1a2
Sample shares three SNPs with a Swedish man and forms the branch I-Y139559.

Kronan 12 (kro012)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: R-BY30937
mtDNA: H2a2a1b

Kronan 13 (kro013)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: I-FT133440
mtDNA: H5a1
Sample shares six SNPs with a Swedish man and forms the branch I-FT133440.

Kronan 14 (kro014)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: N-FT79614
mtDNA: H1-T16311C!

Kronan 15 (kro015)

Location: Kronan, Öland, Sweden
Age: Early Modern Era 1676 CE
Y-DNA: I-Y18800
mtDNA: J1c8a1a

mtDNA from Women of Scandinavia

There are also 23 female samples listed in the study. We’ve reported their mtDNA haplogroups directly from the paper.

Iron Age

Horvnes 9 (hvr009)

Location: Horvnes, Alstahaug, Nordland, Norway
Age: Iron Age 60-215 CE
mtDNA: H3b-G16129A!

Lau 1 (lau001)

Location: Gannor, Lau, Gotland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 600 CE
mtDNA: U5a1b1h

Lau 3 (lau003)

Location: Gannor, Lau, Gotland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 600 CE
mtDNA: H2a1

Lovö 1 (lov001)

Location: Viken, Lovö, Stockholm, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 475-520 CE
mtDNA: I1a1

Rombäck 3 (rtp003/rtp005)

Location: Rombäck, Västernorrland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
mtDNA: H1e1a

Sandby Borg 18 (snb018)

Location: Sandby Borg, Öland, Sweden
Age: Iron Age 450-500 CE
mtDNA: J1c7a

Viking Age

Alsike 10 (als010)

Location: Alsike, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 950-1000 CE
mtDNA: H1s

Alsike 14 (als014)

Location: Alsike, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 925-975 CE
mtDNA: T2b5

Broby 300 (bro300)

Location: Broby bro, Såsta, Täby, Uppland, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 750-1200 CE
mtDNA: J1c4

Enbacken 508 (enb508)

Location: Enbacken, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 950-1100 CE
mtDNA: T2b24a

Frösön 7 (frc007)

Location: Frösön, Jämtland, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 950-1150 CE
mtDNA: H6a1b

Görla 358 (gor358)

Location: Görla, Stockholm, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 750-1200 CE
mtDNA: H3b7

Havor 1 (hav001)

Location: Havor, Hablingbo, Gotland, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 1000-1100 CE
mtDNA: H1b1-T16362C

Kvie 1 (kvi001)

Location: Kvie, Eksta, Gotland, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 800-1050 CE
mtDNA: U4a1

Sala 2 (sal002)

Location: Sala, Västmanland, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 950-1000 CE
mtDNA: J1c3b

Sala 3 (sal003)

Location: Sala, Västmanland, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 800-850 CE
mtDNA: U7a

Sigtuna 18 (stg018)

Location: Sigtuna, Stockholm, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 892-1031 CE
mtDNA: H1

Ströja 2 (str002)

Location: Ströja, Uppsala, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 715-941 CE
mtDNA: H1c15

Turinge 3 (tur003)

Location: Turinge, Stockholm, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 904-1115 CE
mtDNA: U5a1g1

Valsta 696 (vls696)

Location: Valsta, Norrsunda, Stockholm, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 996-1192 CE
mtDNA: J1c1b1a

Västerhus 56 (wes056)

Location: Västerhus, Jämtland, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 1016-1155 CE
mtDNA: V

Medieval Sweden

Västerhus 1 (wes001)

Location: Västerhus, Jämtland, Sweden
Age: Medieval 1016-1262 CE
mtDNA: U5a1

Västerhus 3 (wes003)

Location: Västerhus, Jämtland, Sweden
Age: Medieval 1016-1262 CE
mtDNA: U4a3a

Viking Age Town Sigtuna Updates

The study also reanalyzed several samples from the Genomic and Strontium Isotope Variation Reveal Immigration Patterns in a Viking Age Town 2018 study by Krzewińska et al. Thirteen out of the 23 samples were resequenced and eight of them were male.

Reconstruction of a Viking Age man, found in Sigtuna, Sweden. Late 10th century. O D Nilsson The Viking Museum, Stockholm.

St Gertrud 35 (grt035)

Location: St. Gertrud church, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 885-1024 CE
Y-DNA: G-FT174577
mtDNA: H69
Sample shares 33 SNPs with a man from South Africa and has already formed the branch G-FT17577 based on the 2018 study results.

St Gertrud 36 (grt036)

Location: St. Gertrud church, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 990-1155 CE
Y-DNA: I-FGC14235
mtDNA: H13a1a5

Götes Mack 21 (gtm021)

Location: Götes Mack cemetery, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 970-1040 CE
mtDNA: H5

Kållandet 6 (kal006)

Location: Kållandet cemetery, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 970-1040 CE
mtDNA: V7a

Kållandet 9 (kal009)

Location: Kållandet cemetery, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 970-1040 CE
mtDNA: T2f1

Kålsängen 1 (kls001)

Location: Kålsängen cemetery, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 970-1040 CE
Y-DNA: R-YP418
mtDNA: H1b1
Moves down 3 steps below R-CTS11962 based on increased Y chromosome coverage

Nunnan 1 (nuf001/84001)

Location: Nunnan block cemetery, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 898-1024 CE
Y-DNA: N-Y4339
mtDNA: H2a2a1

Nunnan 5 (nuf005/84005)

Location: Nunnan block cemetery, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 895-1035 CE
Y-DNA: I-BY64084
mtDNA: H1ap1

St Gertrud 20 (stg020)

Location: St. Gertrud church, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Medieval 1000-1300 CE
mtDNA: T2

St Gertrud 26 (stg026)

Location: St. Gertrud church, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 778-1015 CE
mtDNA: J1c2k

St Lars 2 (stl002/97002)

Location: St. Lars church, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 750-1200 CE
Y-DNA: R-P312
mtDNA: J2a1a1a

Urmakaren 35 (urm035)

Location: Urmakaren block church, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Viking Age 997-1155 CE
Y-DNA: I-DF29
mtDNA: H2a1c

Urmakaren 160 (urm160)

Location: Urmakaren block church, Sigtuna, Sweden
Age: Medieval 1039-1200 CE
Y-DNA: R-BY18987
mtDNA: H1q

Conclusion

By comparing the excellent aDNA results from the new study with present-day high coverage Y-chromosome results from Big Y testers, we discovered many interesting patrilineal connections between the past and the present. As more people test, we expect to identify many more connections, and the placements on the Y-DNA and mtDNA haplotrees will be updated accordingly.

Although this study almost exclusively focused on aDNA samples from Sweden, we identified connections to customers from many other countries.

We have presented the information from the analysis with a lot of detail in this blog article. Comment below and let us know what you think about this type of detailed reporting of aDNA studies and what you would like to hear more about.