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Medieval Murder Mystery Solved Through Ancient DNA Analysis

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In 1197, a Norse saga recounts, an invasion at Sverresborg Castle near Trondheim, Norway, involved a brutal tactic: a body thrown into the castle’s well, likely to poison the water supply and demoralize the inhabitants. This account is recorded in Sverris Saga, the 800-year-old tale of King Sverre Sigurdsson, and now, modern science has offered striking new evidence to support this ancient story. A groundbreaking study published in iScience on October 25 explores how researchers used ancient DNA from skeletal remains to link the tale to a real person—the so-called “Well-man”—marking an unprecedented moment in the fusion of history, archaeology, and genetic science.

For decades, the bones of the Well-man have puzzled researchers. Originally discovered in 1938 within the well at Sverresborg Castle, these remains sat in the archives for generations because scientists lacked the tools to study them fully. But with advancements in radiocarbon dating and genomic analysis, a team led by Professor Michael D. Martin of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s University Museum in Trondheim has uncovered intricate details about this individual, shedding light on his life and potentially his final moments.

Radiocarbon analysis dated the Well-man’s bones to around 900 years ago, placing him squarely in the late 12th century, the exact period when Sverris Saga describes the siege of Sverresborg. According to prior studies from 2014 and 2016, the Well-man was an adult male, likely between 30 and 40 years old. Dr. Martin explains that this discovery is historic: “This is the first time that a person described in these historical texts has actually been found. There are a lot of these medieval and ancient remains all around Europe, and they’re increasingly being studied using genomic methods.”

In a remarkable feat of scientific detective work, doctoral candidate Dr. Martin Rene Ellegaard used samples taken from one of the Well-man’s teeth to extract DNA and sequence his genome. From this data, the researchers learned that he most likely had blue eyes and blond or light-brown hair. Genetic analysis also suggests his ancestry originated in the southernmost region of present-day Vest-Agder, Norway, indicating a possible backstory for this mysterious figure.

Excavation. Credit: Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research

The success of the Well-man’s analysis relied heavily on access to reference genomes, which offer crucial comparison points for understanding ancient DNA. These references were obtained through a collaboration with Professor Agnar Helgason of deCODE Genetics in Iceland, giving Ellegaard and his team access to thousands of modern Norwegian genomes as well as data from other European populations. “Most of the work that we do is reliant on having reference data,” explains Ellegaard. “So the more ancient genomes that we sequence and the more modern individuals that we sequence, the better the analysis will be in the future.”

However, studying ancient DNA is not without its challenges. The Well-man’s tooth had to be carefully handled to prevent contamination from past excavation efforts and modern handling. To retrieve uncontaminated DNA, scientists had to grind down a portion of the tooth, a process that renders the sample unusable for any further study. This posed an ethical challenge, as Ellegaard points out: “It was a compromise between removing surface contamination of the people who have touched the tooth and then removing some of the possible pathogens… there are lots of ethical considerations.”

Despite the limitations, this study opens the door to exploring the identities and lives of historical figures in unprecedented ways. The technique used in this research could be applied to other ancient remains, potentially offering insights into the lives of prominent Norse figures. Professor Martin notes that the remains of Saint Olaf, a revered figure in Norwegian history, are believed to be buried in Trondheim Cathedral. If his remains were ever uncovered, similar genetic analysis could reveal new aspects of his lineage, appearance, and health, further bridging the divide between historical texts and scientific knowledge.

Anna Petersén, an archaeologist with the Norwegian Institute of Cultural Heritage Research, reflects on the potential of this technique, saying, “The text is not absolutely correct—what we have seen is that the reality is much more complex than the text.” This discovery allows historians and archaeologists to refine their understanding of events through a “neutral” scientific lens, as Dr. Ellegaard describes, enhancing our comprehension of medieval life in Norway.

Petersén believes that this approach represents a paradigm shift, as the integration of archaeology and genomics promises a richer, multidimensional view of the past. “It’s a fantastic result on what Ellegaard and Martin’s method can bring to archaeology in such a strange or rare context like this,” she concludes. Through the Well-man’s story, researchers are setting a new standard for examining historical figures—one that could eventually lead to insights into the lives of some of history’s most legendary figures, bringing ancient narratives to life with a clarity and depth never before possible.

Source: Cell Press

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