New DNA findings reveal that ancient Vikings apparently brought women to accompany them during their battles and conquests.

Vikings raided and pillaged the immense regions of northwestern Europe and the British Isles. Vikings are also well known for their longships they used to cross the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and other seas.

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Vikings, also known as Norsemen, plundered towns and took people as slaves. The reign of terror they inflicted on local communities in France, Germany and Britain lasted for centuries.

A new study by researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway reveals that Vikings weren't just about raiding and conquests. They were also deeply involved in trade and agriculture.

This particular DNA analysis also shows that Viking women played a pivotal role during Nordic colonization.

This study confirms that women had significant contributions during colonizing compared to what was previously thought, said Jan Bill, an archaeologist from the Viking burial ship collection from the Museum of Cultural History.

Study co-author Erika Hagelberg, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Oslo, said this research entailed the extraction of teeth and bone remnants from 45 exhumed Viking skeletons excavated from different regions in Norway. These Vikings lived between 796 A.D to 1066 A.D.

The team examined the DNA found in the Viking remains, particularly from the mitochondria that produce energy in cells. Mitochondria is passed on to every generation and determines the maternal lineage of a family.

Researchers then took samples from 5,000 people from different parts of Europe, including 70 ancient natives from Iceland. The DNA analysis of these samples yielded results that led to Viking genetics closely matched with maternal DNA present among modern citizens of Sweden, Scotland and England.

The closest match to the ancient Vikings are the people from Shetland Islands in Orkney, Scotland.

This study was published in the journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

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