In a castle well in Norway, a dead man was thrown in over 800 years ago. Researchers believe they found his skeleton. The story is from an old saga about King Sverre Sigurdsson. The saga says enemies threw a dead man in the castle well and filled it with stones to attack the community. The man’s skeleton was found in 1938, but it wasn’t confirmed until now that he was the man from the saga. DNA and carbon dating were used to match the skeleton with the saga’s timeline. The research shows the man most likely had blue eyes and blond or light-brown hair. His ancestors were probably from the southern region of Norway. There are still questions about why he was thrown into the well. This study can help understand ancient stories and people better. It is the oldest case where genetic information has been found from an ancient text character. The research helps add new details to the story and separate fact from fiction.
Vocabulary List:
- Skeleton /ˈskɛl.ɪ.tən/ (noun): The supporting structure of bones in a body or the remains of a deceased person.
- Saga /ˈsɑː.ɡə/ (noun): A long story of heroic achievement often involving historical events and characters.
- Ancestors /ˈæn.ses.tərz/ (noun): People from whom one is descended; forefathers.
- Timeline /ˈtaɪm.laɪn/ (noun): A representation of a chronological sequence of events.
- Research /ˈriː.sɜːrtʃ/ (noun): Systematic investigation to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
- Genetic /dʒəˈnɛt.ɪk/ (adjective): Relating to genes or heredity.
