New study indicates 6th-century population decline could have helped instigate Viking Age prosperity

A recently published academic paper has provided fresh insights into the population decline believed to have hit Scandinavia in the 6th century. 

The researchers undertook a detailed analysis of burials in southern Norway and identified a significant drop in the 500s. 

It is thought the sharp fall could explain some of the dramatic changes in Norse society that preceded the dawn of the Viking Age. 

Falling population 

The Viking Age was characterized by significant outward migration from the lands of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. 

The Norse traveled to all points of the compass, from Greenland, Iceland, and the most eastern shores of America to Great Britain, Constantinople, and the Iberian Peninsula. 

Yet even today, the root causes of this great period of exploration remain unclear. 

In the article The Impact of the 6th Century Crisis – Exploring Burials as a Proxy for Population Dynamics in Iron Age Scandinavia, published in the Norwegian Archeological Review, University of Oslo researchers Kjetil Loftsgarden and Frode Iversen examine demographic changes in the period leading up to the Viking Age.

The research, which encompassed an analysis of close to 7,000 burials ranging from 200 to 1000 CE, found evidence of a significant population decline in southern Norway during the 6th century, with a drop in burials of more than 75% compared to the previous period. 

• READ MORE: How and why did the Viking Age begin?

Two major volcanic eruptions in Iceland may have triggered a cooling period, causing crop failures and famines in 6th-century Scandinavia. Source: peterhartree

A period of upheaval 

The researchers suggest this decline in population had two likely causes. 

The first came in the form of two major volcanic eruptions in 536 and 540 CE that triggered a prolonged cooling period, which may have caused widespread crop failures and famines. 

Around the same time, the deadly bubonic plague is thought to have emerged across Scandinavia. 

The new findings are in line with previous research that has also indicated a drop in population, including reduced evidence of settlement activity and radiocarbon dating from the 6th century. 

The researchers also note that signs of changes in burial traditions and other customs could also indicate that a shift in societal structures and values may have taken place at this time. 

It is possible that the upheaval created by these dramatic demographic changes could well have helped lay the foundations for the Viking Age. 

In an article for Science Norway, Loftsgarden and Iversen note that "even modest disruptions can trigger major societal changes in fragile systems. 

The 6th century crises appear to have disrupted settlement patterns, rituals, and cultural practices." 

• READ MORE: Viking Age immigration – Who headed to Scandinavia?

The map shows the extent of Scandinavian territorial growth (green) and their key routes (blue) across land and sea during the Viking Age. Source: Jchancerel

Forward impetus 

As the researchers note, this kind of disruption can often be followed by a period of relative prosperity, just as Norway enjoyed after the country suffered from the return of the plague in the 14th century. 

In these cases, the changing alliances and social structures can help provide the flexibility needed for society to thrive and innovate. 

Southern Norway was also experiencing several other favorable factors by the end of the 8th century – the start of the Viking Age. 

In particular, it is thought that advantageous climatic conditions, advances in agriculture, and growing trade networks all helped to instigate a major increase in the population of the region. 

It is also possible that the pressures of the newly burgeoning population were one of the catalysts for the decision of many Norse people to begin to seek their fortune in more distant lands. 

In any case, there is no question that the period of apparent demographic devastation in the 6th century was followed by one of population growth, greater prosperity, advanced production, and rapidly increasing international trade.

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