Researchers at Stockholm University have published findings in Science Advances that challenge conventional interpretations of medieval burial practices. The study examined genetic material from 142 individuals recovered from multiple cemetery sites in Sweden, including more than 60 children and adolescents. DNA analysis revealed that biological relatives were surprisingly rare among people interred in the same grave, even in cemeteries where genetic testing showed many family connections existed among the broader population.
Lead researcher Maja Krzewińska noted that the discovery contradicts the widespread archaeological assumption that adults and children sharing graves typically represented parents with their offspring or other close relations. The findings suggest that factors beyond biological kinship determined burial arrangements. Social, religious, and community-based considerations appear to have influenced decisions about grave placement, indicating that medieval burial customs operated according to complex social principles rather than simple family groupings.
The genetic analysis also yielded insights into childhood treatment during the early Christian period in Scandinavia. By determining the biological sex of child remains through ancient DNA, researchers observed that boys and girls followed the same burial customs as adult men and women. At one cemetery site, males and females were typically interred on separate sides of the churchyard, and children’s graves followed this same pattern, suggesting that gender identity held social significance from early life.
Among the individuals studied, researchers reconstructed the story of one notable woman, designated Lady 56, whose remains were discovered at Västerhus. Genetic evidence connected her to her parents, brother, and two daughters buried elsewhere in the same cemetery. Her grave contained a scallop shell, a distinctive artifact associated with pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, suggesting she may have traveled thousands of kilometers across medieval Europe before returning to her home region. Lady 56 died before reaching age 30.
The research demonstrates how ancient DNA technology combined with archaeological evidence can illuminate aspects of medieval society beyond family structures, including community organization, childhood experiences, religious observance, and interpersonal relationships.
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