Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
(CNN)When the Vikings crossed the North Sea to reach Britain in the ninth century AD, they brought their dogs and horses with them, according to new research.
Archaeologists uncovered what they believe to be the first scientific evidence of this practice in Vikings while analyzing remains from a Viking cremation cemetery called Heath Wood in Derbyshire, England.
Heath Wood consists of 59 burial mounds, and 20 of them have been studied. Although the remains at the cemetery were cremated, bone fragments endure and serve as missing puzzle pieces, revealing information about who was there and when.
Researchers analyzed femur and cranium bones that were traced to two adults, one juvenile and three animals, including a horse, a dog and possibly a pig. Cremation was standard practice at the time for Scandinavians, while those in Britain buried their dead. But in order to determine the true origin of the people and animals at Heath Wood, the scientists took their analysis a step further.
