Mary Beard is right, Roman Britain was multi-ethnic

A row about whether Roman Britain was ethnically diverse has turned nasty. ... Or to know whether you're a white or a black man. The Roman ... Menu Close Home Edition Africa Australia Canada Canada(français) España France Global Indonesia NewZealand UnitedKingdom UnitedStates Edition: Availableeditions Global Getnewsletter Becomeanauthor Signupasareader Signin Twitter John-MarkPhilo,UniversityofEastAnglia Author John-MarkPhilo LeverhulmeEarlyCareerFellow,UniversityofEastAnglia Disclosurestatement John-MarkPhilodoesnotworkfor,consult,ownsharesinorreceivefundingfromanycompanyororganisationthatwouldbenefitfromthisarticle,andhasdisclosednorelevantaffiliationsbeyondtheiracademicappointment. Partners UniversityofEastAngliaprovidesfundingasamemberofTheConversationUK. Viewallpartners Email Twitter Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Messenger Nilnimiumstudeo,Caesar,tibivelleplacere, necscireutrumsisalbusanaterhomo. I’mnotoverlyanxious,Caesar,topleaseyou, Ortoknowwhetheryou’reawhiteorablackman. TheRomanpoetCatullus,nowknownfortheeroticversehewroteforLesbiaandJuventius,wasn’tparticularlybotheredaboutaman’sskinpigmentation(inthisparticularinstance,thatofJuliusCaesar).Sowhyarewe? MaryBeard,professorofclassicsattheUniversityofCambridge,hasrecentlybeenatthereceivingendofa“torrentofaggressiveinsults”forsuggestingthatBritainundertheRomanempire–whichatitsheightstretchedfromnorthernAfricatoScotland–wasethnicallydiverse.ThetroublestartedwhenBearddescribedaneducationalcartoonproducedbytheBBC,whichincludedablackRomansoliderinBritain,as“prettyaccurate”. ThereallyinterestingquestionhereisnotwhethertheRomanempirewasethnicallydiverse(itwas)orevenwhethertherewereAfricanpeopleintheBritishIsles(wethinkthereprobablywere)–butwhyitisnowsoimportantforsometoestablishbeyondquestionthattherewasatimewhenBritain’spopulationwaswhiteandnothingelse.WhatexactlyisatstakeinpromotingthisviewofBritain’spast? Beard’sopponents,objectingtothedepictionofablackmanasahigh-rankingRomansoldier,havebeenkeentopindownexactlyjusthowdark-skinnedamemberoftheRomanempirelivinginBritaincouldhavebeen.“NorthAfricanswerelightskinned,”onecommentatorwaseagertopointout.Ratherthananopportunitytoreflectonthelanguages,theliteratures,thecross-culturalencountersthattexturedandenrichedtheRomanempire,someoftheattacksonBeardareseeminglyaboutnegatinginthestrongestpossibletermsthepresenceofdarkskininBritishhistory. TheculturalandethnicoriginsoftheBritishIsleshavealwaysbeensubjecttocriticalbackandforth.Inthe16thcentury,theScottishhistorianHectorBoecerecountedthetraditionthattheScotswereEgyptianinorigin,descendedfromtheprincessScota.Southoftheborder,RaphaelHolinshed(fromwhomShakespearederivedsomuchofhismaterial)rehearsedthetraditionthatBrutus,adescendentofAeneas,princeofTroy(locatedinwhatismoderndayTurkey)cametoruleBritainwith“agreattrainoftheposterityofthedispersedTrojans”. Now,facedwithwhatisrathermorepersuasiveevidenceformulti-ethnicityinBritain’sancientpast,weareapparentlynolongerwillingtoentertaintheideathattheethnicoriginsoftheBritishIsleswereactuallyascomplexasthearchaeological,textual,andisotopicevidencesuggests. WemightpointtoQuintusLolliusUrbicus,theRomangovernorofBritain,whowasborninNumidia(today’sAlgeria)anduponwhomtheBBCcartoonappearstohavebeenbased.Urbicus,whosepresenceinBritainisrecordedonaninscriptionatCorbridge,Northumberland,wasresponsibleforreconqueringthesouthofScotland. RomanruinsatCorbidge. GlenBowmanviaWikimediaCommons,CCBY-SA Thenthereistheevidenceofferedbytombstones,includingthatofRegina,aformerslaveandmemberofCatuvellauni,aCeltictribetothesouth,who,ashertombstoneexplains,marriedtheSyrianBarates,fromPalmyra(BaratesPalmyrenusNatione).TothiswemightaddthetombstoneofVictor–afreedmanwhowasburiedinBritainandwas“Moorishbybirth”(NationeMaurum). ScientificresearchhasalsoshednewlightonmigrationtoancientBritain.TheprojectbyReadingUniversity,ALongWayFromHome:DiasporaCommunitiesinRomanBritain,usedskeletalandisotopicremainstoexaminemigrantcommunitiesundertheempire.Theteamexaminedthechemicalsignaturesonancientteethandbonetoexplorepotentialdifferencesindietandhealthbetweenmigrantsandtherestofthelocalpopulation. And,ofcourse,therewerealsoBritishmigrantstobefoundacrosstheempire,includingthecenturionsTitusQuintiusPetrullus–whosetombstone,describinghimas“fromBritain”,wasuncoveredinSyria–andMarcusMiniciusMarcellinus,who,althoughoriginallyfromLincoln,wasstationedinMainz.ThetombofanotherLincolnsoldier,MarcusJuniusCapito,hasbeenuncoveredintheoldRomanprovinceofMauretaniaCaesariensis–modern-dayAlgeria.Migrationisandhasalwaysbeenatwo-waystreet. TheresponsesBeardhasreceivedarguablyareconcernedwithprotectingaveryparticular,verylimitingviewofthepastattheexpenseofagenuinelyenlighteningdebateabouttheRomanempire.Atbest,thisspeaksofanunwillingnesstoengagepatientlyandcriticallywithquestionswhichcannuanceourunderstandingofhistory–andatworst,ofadesiretokeeptheBritishpastwhite. Archaeology Ethnicdiversity RomanEmpire RomanBritain Alt-Right Events Moreevents Jobs Lecturer/SeniorLecturerinInformationSystems IndustrialOfficer(2positionsavailable) DirectorofOperations,NationalImagingFacility DataScientist ExecutiveDirector,RecyclingandCleanEnergyCommercialisationHub(REACH) Morejobs EditorialPolicies Communitystandards Republishingguidelines Analytics Ourfeeds Getnewsletter Whoweare Ourcharter Ourteam Partnersandfunders Resourceformedia Contactus ​ ​ ​