Unusual Viking Women With Elongated Heads On Gotland, Sweden

Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Archaeological evidence suggests that numerous ancient civilizations practiced artificial cranial modifications. While it is established that Vikings did undergo permanent body modifications, such as dental alterations characterized by horizontal furrows, researchers assert that there is no substantial basis to associate Vikings with the widespread tradition of altering the shape of the head.

Skull image: Artificially modified skull from the female individual in grave 192 from Havor, Hablingbo parish, Gotland. © SHM/Johnny Karlsson 2008-11-05 (CC BY 2.5 SE) – Viking woman image: Drawing of the grave of the female individual with an artificially modified skull in grave 192 from Havor, Hablingbo parish, Gotland, Credit: Miroslaw Kuzma/Matthias Toplak 2019 – Image compilation AncientPages.com

However, the discovery of three Viking women with elongated heads on the island of Gotland in Sweden gives us reason to consider whether artificial cranial modification was perhaps practiced by a small number of people during the Viking Age.

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