The Faroe Islands, located in the North Atlantic, were long thought to have been discovered by the Vikings for the first time. However, this theory may be about to change with the new information obtained. It is a known fact that explorer Vikings established settlements in Iceland and Greenland in the 800s. Scientists also know that the Faroe Islands were visited by Vikings in these years. However, it was discovered that the first settlers lived up to 300 years before this date.
Scientists continuing their research on the islands have so far not come across human remains, except for Vikings. However, in recent studies, ‘sheep DNA’ was found in a lake layer. This DNA remnant, thought to date back to the 500s, was simply the adipose tissue of a sheep species that may have been brought to the island by humans. This is considered a sure sign that the Faroe Islands were home to humans before the Vikings.
Historical documents also confirm this discovery:
Theories that humans landed on the Faroe Islands before the Vikings are hardly new. But this discovery is one of the most conclusive and solid evidence yet. In addition, historical documents written by monks long before the 800’s also provide information that people lived on the North Atlantic Islands. However, the following question may come to mind: If people lived, where are the settlements?
The researchers stated that it would be very difficult to establish a settlement due to the lack of flat areas on the island; He states that the settlements established may have been destroyed over time and rebuilt by the Vikings. There is no information yet about who the people living on these islands were before the Vikings and where they came from. However, according to one theory, these people may have been Celts. In addition, ‘charred barley pieces’ found in a Viking settlement in 2013 also date back to the 500s. With the sheep DNA that researchers found by the lake, it became certain that the Faroe Islands were discovered before the Vikings.
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