A homogeneous or a multicultural and multiethnic Viking Age Scandinavia?

[Domen]

Was Scandinavia of the Viking Age really united culturally and / or ethnically?

An interesting article about this issue by Przemysław Urbańczyk ( https://iaepan.academia.edu/PrzemyslawUrbanczyk ):

https://www.academia.edu/6437408/Deconstructing_the_Nordic_Civilization_

For example this excerpt:

Scandinavian archaeologists traditionally interpreted the visible unevenness of cultural manifestations as merely local variations of one unified cultural tradition. this deeply rooted assumption may be checked by studying collective death rituals that were important for both the external differentiation of particular communities and their internal integration. Fredrik Svanberg’s (2003a and 2003b) analyses of south-east scandinavia during the period 800–1000 aD, indicate that there were eleven quite distinct burial traditions (Svanberg 2003b, Fig. 61). this undermines the popular concept of some homogenous “viking age culture” because territorial variability of grave types indicating differentiation in burial customs and death rituals, may be interpreted in terms of religious differentiation. this, in turn, undermines the concept of common pan-scandinavian religious symbolism and eschatological beliefs because “…it is hard to see how a number of different traditions may all simply be reflections of one and the same coherent mythology or religion” (Svanberg 2003a, 142).

In all of Europe distinct burial traditions and material cultures are usually interpreted by archaeologists & historians as signs of ethnic diversification. Apparently an exception is Scandinavia, for which a concept of a kind of "isolation" and "lack of immigration" exists, despite evidence showing the opposite:

This added an “historiosophic” dimension to the picture of the uniqueness of the homogenous north which had already been established through the combined efforts of scandinavian geographers, linguists, historians and archaeologists. the idea of an ancient unity and a common destiny is, however, undermined by yet another, equally strong historiographic tradition which divides this huge “nordic civilization” into original “ethnic” subregions. It is generally taken for granted that the earliest history of Scandinavia concerns the primordial Danish, norwegian, and swedish peoples who were soon to be followed by the Faroese and the icelanders. They are all the obvious subjects of national(istic) scholarly interests. thus, the idea of “national” continuities determined the tracks of the historical narratives that refer to the nordic early middle ages. even in Iceland, the desire for a deeply-rooted ethno-political continuity is so strong that it is necessary to be reminded that “…those who first settled in iceland were not Icelanders, but immigrants” (Orri Vésteinsson 2006, 85).

So perhaps von Zernichow ("from Chernihov") is a typical Norwegian surname, and von Trier ("from Treves") a typical Danish surname?

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All evidence provided by archaeology, modern 21st century genetics and unbiased interpretation of written sources stand in high contrast with old chauvinistic interpretation of Scandinavian demographic history. And what was that old chauvinistic interpretation of Scandinavian demographic history? Well, it is described for example by a 2000 essay "Where Are We Going? Attitudes Towards Migrations in Archaeological Thought", by Kerstin Cassel:

 

[Domen]

In the past numerous evidence for Slavic settlements in Scandinavia and the role of Slavic and Baltic Finnic warriors in the Viking movement was being ignored due to nationalism, despite clear hints in both Medieval written sources and archaeology. For example English wikipedia article about the battle of Svolder - one of the largest if not the largest of naval battles of the Viking Age in the Baltic Sea - does not even mention Slavic participation in that battle:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Svolder

Whereas such participation is recorded by Medieval Scandinavian written sources - as this article about the battle of Svolder explains:

https://www.academia.edu/6437432/Building_the_Legend_of_the_Battle_of_Svoldr

English chronicler Orderic Vitalis mentioned participation of West Slavic - including Veleti and Polish - warriors as allies of kings of Denmark in Danish invasions of Britain. Saxo Grammaticus in his "Gesta Danorum" ("Deeds of the Danes") also mentioned the presence of Slavic warriors (including females - like the female warlord named Wisna) in fights between various Viking companies in Scandinavia; and presence of Slavic mercenaries (or allies) in the army of Danish kings. German chronicler Thietmar wrote about Polish-Danish alliance. This was confirmed also by "Cnutonis regis gesta sive enconium Emmae".

Archaeologists excavated skeletons of some of those Slavic mercenaries - a group which fought for Harald Bluetooth:

https://www.academia.edu/622731/Who...s_army_Strontium_isotope_investigation_of_the

Danish chronicler Saxo, in his ‘Danish History’ gives an account of the reign of Harald Bluetooth (...) He also reports that the king, towards the end of his rule and in a period contemporary with the Trelleborg fortresses, based his power on an army composed of ‘Danes and Slavs’. According to a twelfth-century chronicler, the so-called ‘law of the Kings’, retainers became necessary because of the heterogeneous ethnic composition of the royal retinue at the beginning of the eleventh century (for a more detailed review of the sources compare M. Andersen 1982; Damgaard-Sørensen 1991; Dobat 2010).

Genetic studies on both extant and past (aDNA) populations that became available in the 21st century also prove that Scandinavia saw many immigrations, including relatively recent (Medieval & Early Modern) ones. Y-DNA of Slavic, German, Dutch, Scottish and Baltic-Finnic origin was identified.

Apparently both archaeology and genetics (presence of haplogroup Q) prove also Ancient Hunnic incursions into Scandinavia:

Lotte Hedeager, "Scandinavia and the Huns: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Migration Era":

https://www.academia.edu/5352394/Sc...terdisciplinary_Approach_to_the_Migration_Era