Gender and archaeology- a study of research with a focus on Viking Age women

Research on Viking Age society is a recurrent subject within the scientific literature, and todays modern views of Vikings might not always have been the same as we think, especially when Viking people and who they were and what they did are discussed. Viking Age women are mentioned in scientific literature throughout history up until today, but have they always been studied in the same way? And why did scientists in the past choose to study, highlight or just mention the Viking Age women in the literature? The focus of this essay are directed to the Viking Age women and how they are presented in scientific literature and how archaeologists choose to study them, which also brings in questions about gender research. By focusing on recent research on Viking Age women, the aim is to get an insight on how gender research has influenced archaeology. This study focuses especially on which impact women studies had on research recently, and which perspectives are important today. The starting point of this study is based on an assertion that Viking Age women studies have been affected by the introduction of gender research to archaeology. Also that recent studies, just as older studies, have been affected by contemporary societal norms