News Archaeology

Vikings brought animals to England as early as the year 873

Horses and dogs may have been companions of the travelers, researchers say

A pile of cremated animal and human bone fragments suggests Vikings travelled from Scandinavia across the North Sea to England.

By analyzing cremated animal and human bones (shown), researchers say they have found the first solid scientific evidence of animals traveling with Vikings across the North Sea to England.

Julian Richards/University of York

By Anna Gibbs

Vikings brought horses and dogs to the British Isles from Scandinavia, a new study suggests.

A chemical analysis of bone fragments from a cemetery in England provides the first solid scientific evidence of animals traveling with Vikings across the North Sea, scientists report February 1 in PLOS ONE.