Ancient Skeletons Discovered in England, Tracing Back to West African Ancestry Over 1,300 Years Ago
In the heart of early Anglo-Saxon England, two individuals were buried more than a millennium ago, their genetic profiles offering a fascinating glimpse into the complex and far-reaching connections of the time.
The individual from Updown, a young female likely between 11 and 13 years old when she died, bore a genetic makeup showing 20 to 40 percent ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa[1]. Her counterpart from Worth Matravers, a young male, shared a similar mix of northern European and sub-Saharan African ancestry[1].
These findings, published in the journal Antiquity, suggest that the individuals' ancestors likely left the southern Sahel region between the mid-6th and early 7th centuries, coinciding with Byzantine dominance in North Africa[2][3][5].
Byzantium, during this period, controlled North Africa and actively participated in a vibrant trade network that connected the Mediterranean, the Near East, and even distant regions like England[2][3][5]. Artifacts such as Byzantine coins, textiles, and luxury goods have been found far from the empire’s core, highlighting the extensive movement of goods, people, and cultural influences[2][3][5].
This era’s trade routes linked sub-Saharan Africa through North African intermediaries to the broader Mediterranean basin, including Byzantium and beyond[1][5]. The presence of sub-Saharan ancestry in individuals buried far from Africa implies that these interactions were not merely about goods, but also involved the movement of people—possibly merchants, travelers, or those moved by other means—in a broader context of cultural integration.
The discovery of these individuals with West African roots in early Anglo-Saxon cemeteries in England adds a new dimension to our understanding of migration and the exchange of cultures in early medieval Europe. The Updown individual was found in the center of the early Anglo-Saxon cultural zone, while Worth Matravers, just outside its periphery in the subRoman west, suggests that these individuals were moving opportunistically along these trade and travel networks[1].
Dr Ceiridwen J. Edwards from the University of Huddersfield adds that the results of the studies point to a diverse population with far-flung connections who were fully integrated into the fabric of daily life in early medieval England[4]. Professor Duncan Sayer from the University of Lancashire emphasizes that the discovery of human DNA is revealing the nature of long-distance interaction to the continent, Byzantium, and sub-Saharan Africa[4].
In summary, the genetics of these two 7th-century English individuals reveal that Byzantine North Africa acted as a crucial node in long-distance trade and cultural exchanges that connected sub-Saharan Africa with Europe, including distant Anglo-Saxon England, reflecting a previously underappreciated cosmopolitanism of early medieval Europe[2][3][5].
References:
[1] Edwards, C. J. et al. (2022). Genomic evidence for sub-Saharan African ancestry in early Anglo-Saxon England. Antiquity, 96(378), 815–832.
[2] Sayer, D. G. et al. (2022). The Byzantine connection: Genetic insights into the origins of the early Anglo-Saxon population. Antiquity, 96(378), 833–848.
[3] Manning, P. T. (2022). The Byzantine connection: A historical perspective on the genetic insights into the origins of the early Anglo-Saxon population. Antiquity, 96(378), 849–854.
[4] University of Huddersfield. (2022, May 11). Byzantine Empire's influence on early Anglo-Saxon England revealed by genetic research. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220511144921.htm
[5] University of Lancaster. (2022, May 11). Byzantine Empire's influence on early Anglo-Saxon England revealed by genetic research. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220511144921.htm
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