How Viking and Germanic DNA Spread Through the Iron Age Migrations

Follow the complex story of migrations in Europe during the first millennium, as Germanic and Viking ancestry spread across the continent.

By Jack Knudson
Jan 1, 2025 4:01 PM
viking-boat-migration
(Credit: Nejron Photo/Shutterstock)

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Back in the first millennium A.D., waves of human migration across Europe created an elaborate genetic puzzle that researchers have now started to unravel with a leap in DNA analysis. An enhanced look at the movement of populations during the time of the Roman Empire and the Vikings has illustrated the genetic impact of this consequential era of history.

New research led by the Francis Crick Institute and published in Nature centers around a data analysis method known as Twigstats, which focuses on assessing genetic family trees. This allowed for a plethora of unprecedented discoveries on historic Iron Age migrations in Europe from the years 1 to 1000. Using Twigstats, the researchers dissected the differences between genetically similar groups in a more precise way than ever before. 

Southward Migration of Germanic Peoples   

The researchers examined over 1500 European genomes from people who lived during the first millennium, an eventful period in European history. These years marked the dramatic rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the dawn of the Vikings, and the migration of several Germanic groups throughout the continent. 

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2025 LabX Media Group