RSS 2.0 FeedMarch 2010 Vol 7, Science and Technology Indaba
Blacks in Britain by 300AD
(A painting that depicts how the 'Ivory Bangle Lady' may have looked) Tests on the skeleton of a rich fourth-century Roman woman found in Britain reveal she was of black African ancestry.
Tests on the skeleton of a rich fourth-century Roman woman found in Britain reveal she was of black African ancestry.
Experts said the discovery proved the island's multicultural origins were much earlier than thought.
Archaeologists from the University of Reading re-examined the remains of the "Ivory Bangle Lady", unearthed in a stone coffin in York in 1901.
Using new forensic techniques that included analysing her facial features, measuring her skull and evaluating what she ate, they were able to say she had both "black" and "white" ancestry and was of high social standing.
The team concluded she was most likely of North African descent.
"Multicultural Britain is not just a phenomenon of more modern times," said a senior lecturer at the university, Dr Hella Eckardt who led the research.
