Ancient Solar Flare Triggered the Viking Age: New Theory Suggests

Viking warriors first appeared in the records of Scandinavian history with raids occurring as early as 793, wherein verbal and written tales of the Norsemen in their conquest of Great Britain were acknowledged by historians for centuries.

The Viking society became widely known when they invaded a small island off the northeastern coast of the nation in what is now the United Kingdom.

Despite our knowledge of the Viking Age, the sudden disappearance of the seafaring warriors is as mysterious as their arrival to ancient Britain and even their raids and colonization of mainland Europe.

Amid this ambiguity, various social theories have emerged to explain what triggered the large-scale Viking expeditions through the Atlantic Ocean and local seas off the coasts of Britain and Europe.

Now, a new theory is suggesting that an ancient solar flare triggered or coincided with the start of the Viking Age, a period that lasted for almost 300 years.

The ancient solar storms also guided scientists of today in terms of radiocarbon dating, as in the case of archaeologist Soren Sindbaek and his colleagues from Aarhus University in Denmark.

The Viking Age

The Viking Age spanned from 793 to 1066 during the Middle Ages, wherein the Viking warrior not only raided and conquered different communities across Europe but also traded across the continent and even reached North America.

Meanwhile, the National Museum of Denmark places the so-called Viking Era from the year 800 until 1050 AD, a period where the first kings emerged over an area in what is now modern-day Denmark. By the end of the Viking Age, Denmark's king also ruled over ancient England and Norway.

Aside from pillaging and violent conquests, the time of the Vikings was also characterized by sea travel and expeditions to foreign lands through ships and fleets.

As mentioned earlier, while the Viking society's disappearance remain unclear, early research indicated that their exodus was due to several problems, including climate change, especially in Greenland, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.

Potential Theories

From the presence of silver coins from the Middle East in Europe to attractive wealthy towns overseas, potential theories surrounding the Vikings were driven by social and economic factors.

However, the new theory pointrd out that the Viking may have further behind their horizon due to the ancient solar flare, which have effects on Earth's skies like the Aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere.

According to Science News, Sindbaek's team reconstructed the timeline of the Viking's initial voyages by harnessing the power, from what appears to be a powerful solar flare that occurred in the year 775.

The flare also helped the Denmark team to improve their method of radiocarbon dating.

Evidence of their findings is based on artifacts excavated from Ribe, Denmark, which served as a site of an early medieval trading post.

Although an ancient solar storm may affect human civilizations, the expansion of the Vikings over a thousand years ago could be driven more by curiosity and economic necessity, just like other ancient civilizations.