Archaeologists perplexed to find west African ancestry in early medieval England | The Independent https://share.google/EUAebbojSH2DXmeLt
The date is intriguing since it's post Roman
I would imagine that few people here will be surprised by there being some West African heritage present. Two skeletons is far too small a number to have any idea how common it was.
I'd also note the comment made about the possibility of the buried person being linking to the Eastern Empire and to Christianity. In those circumstances I suspect in life they'd just be seen as part of 'Christendom" and not be considered much more exotic that some of the others who turned up.
It is only really surprising if you have a Victorian-style view of the period after the Romans "left". We've known for quite a while that continental and Mediterranean imports kept coming into Britain, as did various clerics. The possibility that people from different areas, including Africa, were moving around these routes shouldn't be a surprise.
And don't forget that there was a British Bishop at the Council of Nicaea, not to mention all David's Welshmen making a move on Brittany, so it cuts both ways.
It's worth noting that
QuoteFurther DNA analysis revealed that they were of mixed descent, with each having one paternal grandparent from west Africa
So neither person need have come directly from Africa.
And
Quote"What is fascinating about these two individuals is that this international connection is found in both the east and west of Britain," said Dr Sayer. "Updown is right in the centre of the early Anglo-Saxon cultural zone, and Worth Matravers, by contrast, is just outside its periphery in the sub-Roman west"
Which may hint at two quite different stories.
Though assuming that the two have
the same West African paternal grandparent could be a good starting-point for a family saga, if there are any historical novelists watching.
Quote from: Keraunos on Aug 20, 2025, 09:44 AMnot to mention all David's Welshmen making a move on Brittany.
clearly on holibobs...