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May 23, 2005
Vikings and Picts
Did the Vikings ‘ethnically cleanse’ the Picts out of the Orkneys? Archaeological excavations at Langskaill Farm in Westray show an abrupt transition in material culture from that of the original population to the Norsemen. However that does not necessarily mean that the Picts were all wiped out.
Some research has been done on ‘Viking’ DNA in the Orkneys and we obviously have information about the Norsemen from history and historical linguistics. What do we know about the Picts? Have any DNA haplotypes been identified as relating to a non-immigrant population? It seems we still know only one side of the story.
It’s worth noting that the Orkneyjar website has a wealth of information about the heritage of the islands.
www.theherald.co.uk/news/39364.html
www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/langskaill.htm
www.orkneyjar.com/history/vikingorkney/warpeace/index.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at May 23, 2005 01:35 AM
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