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Viking invasions evoke images of burly, bearded men with flaming torches who are intent on sex and violence.

But the conquests to foreign lands may been more like romantic getaways now that DNA has revealed that Viking's brought their women on voyages.

A study has shed light on the importance of women in the colonisation of the British Isles in the Middle Ages, suggesting that Viking men were family-orientated and not as blood-thirsty as previously thought.

A new study shows the importance of women in the colonisation of the British Isles in the Middle Ages, suggesting that Viking men were family-orientated and not as blood-thirsty as previously thought. This illustration shows viking men and women embarking a ship in Newfoundland with livestock

Researchers from the University of Oslo have revealed that 'significant' numbers of women accompanied Viking men when they sailed to places like the Scottish mainland in longboats.

Their study contradicts the popular notion that raiding parties only comprised men, who were intent on raping and pillaging new territories, The Independent reported.

In fact, experts think whole families may have travelled on the iconic boats to form instant communities on newly-conquered lands.

They analysed DNA extracted from 45 Viking skeletons discovered in Norway, to discoverer that women played an integral part in establishing settlements in Britain, for example.

Professor Eriks Hagelberg, of the university, said the inclusion of women on the trips meant that Vikings could have children and spread more quickly across the northern seas, establishing communities.

Viking expeditions, illustrated by blue line, were carried out across an immense breadth. They set foot through most of Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Northern Africa, Asia Minor, the Arctic and North America

Researchers revealed that women and children accompanied Viking men when they sailed to places like the Scottish mainland in longboats, questioning traditional views of bloodthirsty warriors burning local villages. A reconstruction from the Up Helly Aa Festival in Lerwick, the Shetland Islands, is shown

'It seems to support the view that a significant number of women were involved in the settlement of the smaller isles, which overrules the idea that it just involved raping and pillaging by males going on the rampage,' he said.

The expert conceded that it is true that Vikings did have sex with local women, but the DNA evidence studied indicates that Norse women were at the heart of new communities set up in the Viking colonies.

She told LiveScience that Viking women established settlements and grew crops, and 'trade was very, very important'.

The study contradicts one of the theories as to why the Viking launched raids: that there were not enough women at home, she added.

VIKINGS IN ICELAND FEASTED ON BEEF AND BOOZE TO RETAIN POWER

Vikings who settled in Iceland spent most of their time producing and consuming alcohol and beef, according to a study by Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Experts say they did this in part to achieve political ambitions in an environment very different from their Scandinavian homeland.

Davide Zori, an assistant professor at the university, said that the seafaring warriors wanted to sustain a lifestyle where chieftains hosted huge feasts of beer and beef served in great halls.

Vikings who settled in Iceland spent most of their time producing and consuming alcohol and beef, according to a study by Baylor University in Waco, Texas. They analysed buildings and human bones found at the site of a Viking farmstead

The Viking chieftains used wealth and cultural displays to flex political muscle with their rivals and to cement good relations with local labourers and supporters.

His team excavated a farmstead called Hrísbrú in Iceland's Mosfell Valley, including a chieftain's longhouse nearly 100 feet long with a 'feast-worthy' great hall, a church and a cemetery of 26 graves.

Carbon dating and studies of volcanic eruption layers indicated that the longhouse was built in the late ninth or early 10th century and abandoned by the 11th.

The team uncovered 38 layers of floor ash, including rubbish from the abandoned house, and discovered samples of bones, barley seeds and imported beads.

When the Vikings arrived in uninhabited Iceland, they found forested lowlands, ample pasture land and sheltered sea inlets.

The team excavated a farmstead called Hrísbrú in Iceland's Mosfell Valley (mapped), including a chieftain's longhouse nearly 100 feet long with a 'feast-worthy' great hall, a church and a cemetery of 26 graves

The team uncovered 38 layers of floor ash, including rubbish from the abandoned house, and discovered samples of bones, barley seeds and imported beads (pictured)

Excavations show that choice cattle were selected for feasts, with ritual slaughter and the display of skulls common, according to the study, which was published in the journal of Antiquity.

And by examining barley seeds, the experts believe Vikings may have used them to produce alcohol, as well as for bread or porridge.

Over the centuries, as temperatures in the North Atlantic dropped during the 'Little Ice Age,' being a lavish host got tougher, Professor Zori explained.

Cattle had to be kept indoors in large barns during the winter so 'they [the Vikings] had to decide how many to slaughter and store,' he said. 'They didn't have salt, so they had to use big vats of curdled milk as a preservative'

As the landscape changed due to erosion, climate shifts and cleared forests, it became harder to rear larger numbers of cattle.

High-status households also struggled to grow enough grain for beer-making and local consumption, based on historical accounts, which have now been confirmed by archaeological data.

'It got harder and harder to keep up that showiness – and when that collapsed, you didn't have that power, that beer and big slabs of beef to show off,' he said, explaining that the power of chieftains diminished.

Over time, sheep farming replaced the raising of cattle.

Professor Zori argues that Viking chieftains' drive to produce expensive beef and beer caused them to put their political aspirations above the greater good of the community.

'Maybe we don't need the Vikings to prove this, but it shows you that politics can become more important than creating a productive society.'

The research, which was published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, compared the 1,000-year-old mitochondrial DNA of Viking skeletons to that of modern-day people living in Norway, Iceland, Britain and other places in north west Europe.

From this biological data, the experts built up a picture of how the maternal Norse lineage spread throughout areas that were colonised. 

Experts think whole families may have travelled on the iconic boats (illustrated) to form 'instant' communities on newly-conquered lands

Jan Bill, a visiting professor at the University of Oslo, said that Viking women, as well as men, played an important role in setting up communities outside their native lands in Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

He said that the male warriors didn't collect female slaves on the way from Ireland, as previously suggested. A study in 2001 suggested that Viking men travelled alone before picking up Gaelic women on their way to Iceland.

He added: 'We know they transported cattle, sheep and other livestock, so why not take the kids as well?

'I think we're looking at family groups rather than just adult men and women.'

He told LiveScience: 'When raiding activities started to become a more permanent thing, then at some point you may actually see families are traveling along and staying in the camps.'

The researchers hope to compare Norse DNA to ancient DNA from Britain, Scotland and beyond to better understand how these people were related.