Objective Iceland was one of the last European countries to be settled, with the main period of migration taking place from the 9th to 10th centuries. After these initial migrations, the population of Iceland is thought to have been largely genetically isolated until the 20th century. It has been suggested that the initial populations were of Scandinavian and Irish descent, with some scholars suggesting that individuals of Irish decent accompanied the Scandinavian Vikings to Iceland as slaves. However, the accuracy of these suggestions is debated, making the genetic and cultural composition of the initial Icelandic population unclear. Therefore, there are a number of important questions regarding the settlement of Iceland and the mobility of early Europeans that remain unanswered. Three of these questions will be the focus of this study: Who were the initial settlers of Iceland? Did the colonisation of Iceland involve elements of the Viking slave trade? How did migration and subsequent isolation impact the biocultural diversity of the Icelandic human population? The proposed project will address these questions by investigating cranial shape with cutting-edge three-dimensional (3D) shape analysis techniques. The project will include analyses of Icelandic archaeological populations and individuals deriving from the two proposed colonizing populations – i.e. early Scandinavian and Irish human remains. Cranial shape variation will be analysed to identify relationships between the different populations and how Icelandic variation changed after settlement of the island. The findings of this project will significantly add to our understanding of early European migrations, as well as provide new insight into how migration to a new environment, possible adoption of a new diet, and exposure to a new gene pool influenced modern Icelandic population diversity. Fields of science social sciencessociologyanthropologyphysical anthropology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2016 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL Net EU contribution € 183 454,80 Address BROWNLOW HILL 765 FOUNDATION BUILDING L69 7ZX Liverpool United Kingdom See on map Region North West (England) Merseyside Liverpool Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 183 454,80