The history of black Britain: Roman Africans

Black British history goes all the way back to the Romans. ... October in the UK is Black History Month, a month dedicated to remembering the contributions ... Skiptomaincontent Search Search ThehistoryofblackBritain:RomanAfricans BustoftheEmperorCaracallawhowasofAfricandescent AncientHistoryBlackHistory OnJune21,1948,hundredsofmenandwomenfromtheCaribbeandisembarkedfromashipcalledtheEmperorWindrushatTilburydocks.ManystillbelievethatthiseventmarkedthefirstarrivalofablackpopulationtotheUKbutinfact,therehavebeenpeopleofAfricandescentlivinginthiscountrysinceRomantimes. OctoberintheUKisBlackHistoryMonth,amonthdedicatedtorememberingthecontributionsofthosepeoplefromAfricanandCaribbeanheritagetoourcountry’shistory.Solet'sgobacknearlytwothousandyearsanddiscoveratimethatbearswitnesstothefirstknownblackpresenceinBritain. TheRomanEmpirewasthelargestempireoftheancientworldandlastedsome500years.Atitspeakitsterritoriesstretchedfarandwidefromnorth-westernEurope,toNorthAfricaandintotheNearEast.Althoughagradualprocess,theconquestofBritaineffectivelybeguninAD43underEmperorClaudius,whenheinstalledthefirstgovernorofRomanBritain. Readmoreabout:AncientHistory Severus:Rome’sfirstAfricanEmperor Byitsverydesign,theRomanEmpirewasmulticultural.Throughtrade,logisticalormilitarymovements,civilianmigrationsbothvoluntaryandforced,peopletravelledwithintheEmpire,andbythe3rdcenturyAD,thereisevidenceofthefirstAfricanpeoplemakingtheirwaytoBritain. In1953,anancientskeletonwasdiscoveredintheEastSussexbeautyspotofBeachyHead.Itwasn’tuntil2014thoughthatheridentitywasrevealed.Throughmodernforensictechniquesincludingisotopeanalysis,radiocarbondatingandfacialreconstruction,itwasconcludedthatthisladyhadlivedaround200-250AD,wasfromaRomanareainthesouth-eastofEngland,haddiedinherearlytwentiesandhadsub-SaharanAfricanancestry.NotonlyisshethefirstblackBritonknowntous,herdiscoverysuggeststhatpeoplefrombeyondtheNorthAfricanRomanborderwerealsopresentinBritainatthistime. TheassumptionthatanyAfricanpersonlivinginBritainatthistimewouldhavemostlikelybeenaslaveiscontradictedbythenextdiscovery.In1901inYork,askeleton,whowouldlaterbecalledthe“IvoryBangleLady”,wasdiscoveredandsubsequentlydatedtothesecondhalfofthe4thcenturyAD.Buriedinastonecoffinherremainswerefoundwithivorybracelets,earrings,pendantsandotherexpensivepossessionsindicatingthatsheheldahighrankingpositionwithinRomanYork.IsotopeanalysisshowedshehadspentherearlyyearsinawarmerclimatewhilstherskullshapesuggestedshehadsomeNorthAfricanancestry. OtherexcavationsatYorkconductedinthe50sdiscoveredthelargestnumberofhumanskeletonsfromRomanBritaineverexhumed.Datingfromthe3rdcenturyAD,severalofthepeoplewereofAfricanoriginandmadeupvariouslevelsofsocietyfromsoldierstoslaves.SocietyinRomanYorkcouldwellhavebeenmorediversethatwepreviouslybelieved. OtherarchaeologicaldiscoverieshavealsoshownanAfricanpresenceinRomanBritain.TheUniversityofLeicesterfound83skeletonsinaRomangraveyard.Somedatedbacktoasearlyasthe2ndcenturyADandsixoftheskeletonswerefoundtohaveAfricancranialfeatures,withtwoofthemappearingtohavebeenborninEngland.DNAanalysisonagroupofRomanLondonersalsorevealedtwowithNorthAfricanancestry. Readmoreabout:AncientHistory TheIvoryBangleLadyandthemulti-culturalismofRomanBritain Whataboutthewrittenevidence?ArethereanythatdocumentthepresenceofAfricansinBritainatthistime?Well,weknowtheRomansharvestedmenfromtheirconqueredterritoriestojointhearmyandhelpfightorbuildinfrastructuresfortheRomancause.OnesuchconstructionwasHadrian’sWall,adefensivefortificationthatranalongtheEmpire’snorthernmostregion,closetowhatisnowtheScotlandandEnglandborder.Thewallwascompletedin128ADandforaslongastheRomanswerepresentinBritain,theygarrisonedthewallwithtroopsfromacrosstheempire,includingNorthAfrica. Weknowthisfroma4thcenturyADinscriptiondiscoveredatBurgh-by-Sands,closetoafortalongthewesternendofthewall.Thisinscriptionalongwithanotherpieceofevidence,alistofRomandignitaries,bothrefertoaunitof“AurelianMoors”,soldierscollectedfromtheRomanprovinceofMauretaniainNorthAfrica,modernMorocco,whohadpreviouslygarrisonedthefortinthe3rdcentury.TheunitwasnamedinhonouroftheEmperorMarcusAureliusofGladiatorfameandcouldwellhavebeenupto500strong. It’smostlikelythosetroopsweremusteredbytheEmperorSeptimusSeverus,whohimselfwasborninRomanLibyaandbecameRome’sfirstAfricanemperor.Forabriefperiodfrom208AD,theentireRomanEmpirewasruledfromBritainwhenSeveruscametocampaignnorthofHadrian’sWall.Duringhisreign,hestrengthenedandrebuiltthewallanditsfortificationsinmanyareas.OnestorydocumentedintheHistoriaAugusta,speaksofaneventthatoccurredafterSeverusreturnedfrominspectingthewalloneday.ThestoryaddsfurtherwrittenevidenceofAfricansoldiersinBritain.Itreads: '...anEthiopiansoldier,whowasfamousamongbuffoonsandalwaysanotablejester,methimwithagarlandofcypress-boughs.AndwhenSeverusinarageorderedthatthemanberemovedfromhissight,troubledashewasbytheman’sominouscolourandtheominousnatureofthegarland.' Readmoreabout:AncientHistory Hannibal:TheCarthaginiangeneralwhoalmosttoppledRome Believingtheomenpredictedhisownimminentdeath,Severusorderedsacrificesbemadetoappeasethegods.Infact,hewouldn’tdieforafurtherthreeyearslaterafterwhichhisson,LuciusSeptimusBassianus,commonlyknownasCaracalla,wouldsucceedhimandbecomethesecondemperorofRomewithAfricanheritage.DuringthereignsofSeverusandCaracalla,otherAfricanbornRomansheldpositionswithinthearmy,withsomeholdingdifferinglevelsofcommandinthelegionsstationedinBritain.ThereisahighchancethatatleastafewmighthaveremainedinBritainandsettleddown,becomingwhatcouldbeconsideredasBritain’sfirstdiasporapeoplefromAfrica. WhilsttheevidenceofanAfricanpresenceinRomanBritainhasnowbeenwelldocumented,therelativesizeofthatpopulationisstillupforhistoricaldebate.LastyearaBBCschoolsvideowaspublishedonlineaboutatypicalRomanfamilyinBritain.Theheadofthefamilywasahigh-rankingblacksoldier.Vehementandalltoooftenabusiveoppositiontothisvideosweptacrosssocialmedia,withpeopleclaimingtheBBCwas'blackwashing'historyandalteringthefacts. ClassicistMaryBeardfacedthemajorityoftheonlineabuseaftershecametothedefenceoftheBBCvideo,arguingthatrecentevidencedoessuggestRomanBritainwasfarmorediversethanwhatwe’vepreviouslybelieved.Sheevenprovidedareal-lifepersonuponwhomtheBBCcouldhavebasedtheirfatherofthefamily.QuietusLolliusUrbicus,aBerberfrommodern-dayAlgeriawhodidbecomegovernorofRomanBritain.ScepticsclaimedthatthelackofgeneticevidenceofAfricanheritageinmodern-dayBrit’swasthemagicbulletinprovingtheirargumentright.WhilstitistruethatamajorstudyconductedbytheWellcomeTrustCentreforHumanGeneticsinOxforddidshowverylittleAfricanDNAinmodernBrits,itdidalsoshowverylittleNorman,RomanandVikingDNAintoday’smainlandpopulation.NooneisdisputingtheirpresencesontheseshoresjustbecausetheDNAdoesn’taddup. Readmoreabout:BritishHistory BlackBritonswhoshapedhistory ArgumentshavebeenprovidedtoexplainthelackofAfricangeneticlegacy;populationmigrationsoverthesubsequentyearscouldhavecausedgeneticdrift,itisunknownwhethertheAfricansinBritainleftanydescendantswithinthenativepopulation,havetherightpeoplebeensampledyet?AsPatrickGeary,ahistorianatPrinceton’sInstituteforAdvanceStudystates,‘Wehavewrittensources.Wehavearchaeologicalsources.Nowwehavegeneticsources,butnosourcespeaksforitself.’ Togetasnearaspossibletothecompletepictureofahistoricalperiodintime,allthesourcesmustbetakentogetherasacollectivegroup,notsingularlyhighlightedasindividuals.Applyingthatlogic,thearchaeologicalevidenceandforensicresultsreinforcethewrittenhistoricalrecordsthatwehave,indicatingthatAfricansfrombothaboveandbelowtheSaharahavecalledBritainhomesincetheRomantimes. 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