Computed tomography of Viking skulls stunned archaeologists. Photo

A new study has revealed the horrors of the Viking Age. Analysis of skulls has revealed devastating diseases and infections that prevailed in Sweden in the 10th and 12th centuries.

Scientists at Sweden's University of Gothenburg used modern X-ray techniques, including computed tomography, to examine the teeth and skulls of more than 300 Viking remains. Without antibiotics and modern dentistry, persistent ear and tooth infections were the norm for residents of modern Sweden living a thousand years ago, Newsweek writes.

To try to learn more about the conditions in which the Vikings lived, archaeologists selected 15 skulls of people who died between the ages of 20 and 60. Experts conducted a CT scan using multiple X-rays to get detailed images of internal structures, Gizmodo noted.

"There was a lot to see. We found many signs of the disease in these people. We can't study the soft tissue damage because it's gone, but we can see the marks left in the skeletal structures," said Carolina Bertilsson, a dentist who led the study.

The doctors found that of the 15 remains examined using computed tomography, each suffered from a wide range of diseases. 12 showed signs of periapical lesions, a type of bacterial infection at the root of the tooth. 10 suffered from some form of periodontal disease, including bone defects, bone loss, or furcation, an infection so severe that it causes mass loss in the jawbone, doctors say.

Other problems found in several of the skulls included poorly healed or deformed jaw bones and one Viking skull showed signs of hard tissue near the temporal bone, which could indicate a spreading ear infection.

According to the researchers, high-tech imaging showed that many Vikings also suffered from persistent painful head conditions.

The study offers a large-scale view of what everyday life was like for Vikings in times when there were no modern painkillers, antibiotics, or dental care, scientists say.

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