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In a previous publication in connection with a description of the skeletons in our two largest Viking ships, the Oseberg ship and the Gokstad ship, the present author has given a review of the skeletal material from the Iron Age which was available at that time. During the years which have elapsed since the publication of that paper so much new material has come to light that a complete revision of the material is timely. The scope of the earlier publication was limited to the material from the Iron Age which belongs to the period from the time of the great migrations up to and including the Viking Age, a period which falls between the years 400 and 1000 in Norway. In this revision of our material from the Iron Age, the present paper also includes a review of the cranium material which originates from periods which antedate the migrations. Even though this material is very limited and for the most part poorly conserved, I hope that this complete compilation of our prehistoric skeletal material, in connection with the investigations of Norwegian skulls from the Middle Age and modern times previously published by the present author and which will be continued on a broader basis in the future if possible, will contribute to our knowledge of the racial characteristics of the Norwegian people. Any investigation of prehistoric skeletal material requires intimate cooperation between the anthropologist and archaeologists. During work on the present investigation the generous and valuable assistance of the chiefs of our archaeological collections, who have sent all the skeletal material from prehistoric graves to The Anatomical Institute of The University with detailed descriptions of the site of origin and references to all published material, has been a constant source of pleasure. As appears from the following summary of the material, most of it is from Trøndelag and Northern Norway. The material from Trøndelag belongs to the archaeological collection of Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskabs Museum in Trondheim and has been deposited at The Anatomical Institute of The University by its director, Curator Th. Petersen. Most of the material from Northern Norway was collected by the former curator of the archaeological collection at Tromsø Museum, Dr. Gutorm Gjessing, and was sent by him to the Anatomical Institute. I take this opportunity to express my particular gratitude to these two gentlemen for the valuable support they have given my work, both by their painstaking care in collecting all the skeletal material from the prehistoric graves which they have examined, and by placing at my disposal their extensive knowledge of the early history of Trøndelag and Northern Norway.
The material from the southern, eastern and
western parts of the country is much more limited than that from the
northern part for several reasons. It is of particular significance that the
skeletons from Northern Norway were buried in sandy soil with a high calcium
content which has preserved them excellently, while most of the skeletons
from other parts of the country were buried in humus soil which has had a
decalcifying effect. Another important explanation is that the cultivation
of the southern and eastern parts of the country occurred at an earlier
period, when interest for prehistoric finds, especially skeletons, was very
slight among the rural population, and they were thus not preserved. In
recent times a law demands expert examination of all prehistoric finds, and
this has helped somewhat, but has unfortunately come too late in many
instances.
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