Post by Admin on Sept 28, 2020 5:39:49 GMT
355 Disappearance of the Greenlandic Norse
356 From around 980 to 1440 CE South-west Greenland was settled by peoples of Scandinavian (Norse)
357 descent. They likely originated from Icelandic Vikings who established a colony there at the end of
358 the 9th century CE29,48. It is believed that the Norse also reached Labrador, North America, from
359 Greenland around 1000, although no permanent settlement was established30. The fate of the Norse
360 in Greenland remains debated, but probable causes of their disappearance are social or economic
361 processes in Europe (e.g. political relations within Scandinavia and changed trading systems) and
362 natural processes, like climatic changes29,49,50.
363 We see no evidence of long-term inbreeding in the Greenlandic Norse genomes, though we note that
364 we only have one high-coverage genome from the later period of occupation of Greenland
365 (Supplementary Note 10; Figs. S10.2 and S10.3). This suggests a depopulation scenario over
366 approximately 100 years which would be in line with previous demographic models51, as well as the
367 archaeology. Indeed, the latter indicates that marginal farms in the Western Settlement and the
368 northern and southern parts of the Eastern Settlement were abandoned from about 1200 CE, with no
369 converse intensification of settlement in the central areas.
370 We also find no evidence of ancestry from local populations from the Western Atlantic (Paleo
371 Eskimo, Inuit or Native American) in the Norse genomes. This is in accordance with previous
372 physical anthropological studies of the skeletal remains51. This suggests that either sexual interactions
373 did not take place or that, if they did, then on a very small and incidental scale with the children
374 remaining in the native communities. In terms of genetic ancestry of the Greenlandic Norse, we find
375 evidence of admixture between Scandinavians (mostly from Norway) and individuals from the British
376 Isles, similar to the first settlers of Iceland52, which supports the archaeological and historical links
377 between the Greenlandic Norse and the Icelandic Vikings.
356 From around 980 to 1440 CE South-west Greenland was settled by peoples of Scandinavian (Norse)
357 descent. They likely originated from Icelandic Vikings who established a colony there at the end of
358 the 9th century CE29,48. It is believed that the Norse also reached Labrador, North America, from
359 Greenland around 1000, although no permanent settlement was established30. The fate of the Norse
360 in Greenland remains debated, but probable causes of their disappearance are social or economic
361 processes in Europe (e.g. political relations within Scandinavia and changed trading systems) and
362 natural processes, like climatic changes29,49,50.
363 We see no evidence of long-term inbreeding in the Greenlandic Norse genomes, though we note that
364 we only have one high-coverage genome from the later period of occupation of Greenland
365 (Supplementary Note 10; Figs. S10.2 and S10.3). This suggests a depopulation scenario over
366 approximately 100 years which would be in line with previous demographic models51, as well as the
367 archaeology. Indeed, the latter indicates that marginal farms in the Western Settlement and the
368 northern and southern parts of the Eastern Settlement were abandoned from about 1200 CE, with no
369 converse intensification of settlement in the central areas.
370 We also find no evidence of ancestry from local populations from the Western Atlantic (Paleo
371 Eskimo, Inuit or Native American) in the Norse genomes. This is in accordance with previous
372 physical anthropological studies of the skeletal remains51. This suggests that either sexual interactions
373 did not take place or that, if they did, then on a very small and incidental scale with the children
374 remaining in the native communities. In terms of genetic ancestry of the Greenlandic Norse, we find
375 evidence of admixture between Scandinavians (mostly from Norway) and individuals from the British
376 Isles, similar to the first settlers of Iceland52, which supports the archaeological and historical links
377 between the Greenlandic Norse and the Icelandic Vikings.