Afro-Romans: “There were Africans in Britain before the ...

Afro-Romans: “There were Africans in Britain before the English came ... Black and Brown generals were also giving orders to white soldiers. GetunlimitedaccessOpeninappHomeNotificationsListsStoriesWriteAfro-Romans:“TherewereAfricansinBritainbeforetheEnglishcamehere”In2016,ProfessorDavidOlusogareleasedhisdocumentaryseries‘BlackandBritish:AForgottenHistory.’Inepisodeone‘FirstEncounters’,archaeologistDrRichardBenjamintalksabouthowproudheisofthementhatstoodwatchatAballava.WhilstwatchingthefirstepisodefeaturingAballava,wemustacknowledgethatOlusogaandBenjaminwerealsonotthefirstBlackandBrownscholarstodiscussBlackhistory—fromJ.ARogersandhisworkthatcombattedracistviewsofhistory,toTrinidadianRonRamdinontheworkingclass,resultinginTheMakingoftheBlackWorkingClassinBritain(1987).AshortbreathafterPeterFryer’sStayingPower(1984).Anargumentcouldbemade,though,isDavidOlusogawasthefirsttotakeitmainstream.AnyonethatwascamethroughtheBritisheducationsystemwouldhavelearntabouttheRomans.Now,asaman,IknowtherehavebeenBlackpeopleinthiscountrysinceatleastthethirdcentury(well,therecordedhistory),anideathatstandsinoppositiontothenotionthatthereisnoBlackBritishhistoryoutsideoftransatlanticslaveryandpost-warmigration.Whenyougrowupbeingtoldyourhistoryisjustenslavementandimmigration,thepresenceofBlackpeopleinRomanstimes,orAfro-Romans(orTheMoors,laterBlackamoores),makesmequestionwhatwemeanbyBlackBritish.IvoryBangleLadywasaMixed-RaceheritageAfricanRomanwomanlivinginYorkduringthe4thcentury(Source:YorkMuseum)TherevelationofAfro-Romansmakesmethink,weretheyhavingconversationsaboutraceintheircommunitiesinthethirdcenturyinthesamewaywearehavingthemnow?DidtheygettonamethemselvesasMoorsorweretheygiventhattitlebythedominanthomogenouspopulation?InthesamewayBlackandBrownpeopletodaycriticiseandwelcometermslikeBMEandBAME,didtheBlackRomanpopulationsgettonamethemselves?Whatabouttheconnotationsofthewordsandtermslikeblackamoore?Blackamooremeans“Blackblack”,as“’Moor’means‘black’,sowhyaddtheword‘black’toit?’”(Nubia,2019:21).Inhisessay,talkingaboutRenaissance-eraBlackpopulationsinBritain,OnyekaNubiadiscussestheconnotationsoftheterm.HearguesthatthiscouldbeanassertionoftheirownBlacknessandcouldthusbeseenasastatementofhowtheysawthemselves,includingconceptsofidentity,belongingandheritage.WealsoknowofaunitthatincludedNorthAfricansoldiersatHadrian’sWall,namedNumerusMaurorumAurelianorumafterMarcusAurelius—neartowhatistodayBurgh-by-SandsinCumbria.Additionally“oneoftheblacksoldiersinthisunitpresentedagarlandofcypressboughstoEmperorSeverus”(Adi,2019:5)witharchaeologicalfindsdatingbackto101AD—300ADlikepottery.NorthAfrican-RomanheadpotshavealsobeenfoundinChesterandScotland.Furthermore,tombstones,andinscriptions.Finally,Aditellsus(from:Swan)ofwritingsdescribedas“neo-Punicscript”andof“AMoorishfreedman”atSouthShields,“probablywithintheperiodc160–180/90.”Fordecades,ithasbeenknownthattherewereBlackpeoplepartofRomanBritain.Forexample,Libyan-RomancommanderSeptimiusSeveruswascrematedinBritain.Also,originatingfromwhatisnowAlgeria,QuintusLolliusUrbicuswasgovernorofBritainbetweenfrom139to142CE.HistorianspastandpresenthaveknownaboutaBlackpresenceinRomanBritainforsometime.WhenwethinktheRomanEmpire,itwouldbearroganttoportraythatstoryasanexclusivelywhitespace.BoththeBritishandOttomanempireswerediverseandthatispickeduponinwhatlittlepublicconsciousnessthereis.WhydowethinkabouttheRomansdifferently?AnempirethatspannedfromRometoNorthAfrica,wheretherewasMultiracialsoldiersandtheirfamilies.Whatthesecharactersshowus,isnotonlyarethegeneralisationsaboutBlackBritishhistorywrongbutittellsastoryofBlackagencyoutsideofinsurgencyagainstracism.BeachyHeadWoman(PhotographCredit:GrahamHuntley/BBC)Despitemodernideasofempire,therewereBlackmeninpositionsofpower,justastherewereintheMaliEmpire.TherewerealsoBlackandBrownpeopleinpositionsofvulnerability.BlackandBrowngeneralswerealsogivingorderstowhitesoldiers.Incomparison,inthecontextoftheFirstWorldWar,weknowfromtheManualofMilitaryLaw(1914)thattheBritishArmypracticedacolourbar.Inhis2016seriesBlackandBritish,Prof.DavidOlusogahasaconversationwithauthor,historian,andCambridge’scelebrityclassicsProfessorMaryBeardabouthowtheRomansmayhavepercievedhumanracialdifferencesinthatperiod:“TheRomanscertainlysaidnastyhatefulthingsaboutforeigners.TheBrits…thepoorlittleBritscameinforquitealotofstereotypicalpropaganda.AndwhattheRomansweren’t,isracistinourterms.Thereisnosensethatskincolourisreallythethingthatmarksyououtforyourposition.”—Prof.MaryBeardAltHistory-Series1:3.White-washingEmmaDabirilooksattheWW1soldierswhohadtheirstorieserasedfromthehistorybooks.www.bbc.co.ukInlightofhercomments,isitsurprisingthatpeoplelikeSeptimiusSeverusexistedbackthen?TheideaofracialdifferenceasweknowittodayisarelativelynewphenomenonandracismasatoolofviolenceintheGlobalNorthwaspopularisedbycolonisersandthesocietiesthatcameafterwards(i.ethewartimecolourbar).Raceasweknowit,isanewinventionandIthinkdespitethebrutishnessoftheRomans,there’salottolearnfromthisperiodonhowtoviewdifference.Empire-buildingthugs,certainly,butaccordingtoProfessorBeard,notracist,inthemodernmeaningoftheword.Inclosing,ifweshouldtakeanythingaway,it’sthatRomanBritainisoneofthemost-taughttopicsinschoolsandthefactheritage,geographyandidentitydon’tplayaroleisanindictmentonanestablishmentindenialofitspastanditspresent.ReferencingAdi,H.(2019)Introduction.In:Adi,H.(ed).BlackBritishHistory:NewPerspectives.London:ZEDBooks,pp.1–14.BlackandBritish(2016).FirstEncounters.Episode1.[BBCiPlayer].Nubia,O.(2019)BlackamooresHaveTheirOwnNames.In:Adi,H(ed.)BlackBritishHistory:NewPerspectives.London:ZEDBooks,pp.15–36.Swan,V.G.(1992)LegioVIanditsMen:AfricanLegionariesinBritain.JournalofRomanPotteryStudies5(5),pp.1–33;MorefromTréVentour-GriffithsFollowPublicHistorian-Essayist|Poet|Speaker:race,whiteness,BlackHistory,dyspraxia/autismandmore|Work:https://treventour.com/contact/|NeurodivergentLovepodcastsoraudiobooks?Learnonthegowithournewapp.TryKnowableRecommendedfromMediumLexaBebytzaMagdalenaSolis,thebloodypriestessBrianE.DavisSpeakingofHistoryInterview:ReunitingFinleyandBohlmanAmyWalkerNicegoing,PaulKleein1938AbbasTalibImranKhan:ABlessedManIndeedAfricanCelebsREBELLIONANDFASHIONINONEPLACE:THEWOMENOFHERERO.BillMcDonaldinTheBeardedBeastShowNikolaTeslawhowashe?DrMichaelHenginILLUMINATION-CuratedTiananmen — TheBigLiesnmufidaaAMERICANLITERATURE,AboutHelpTermsPrivacyGettheMediumappGetstartedTréVentour-Griffiths179FollowersPublicHistorian-Essayist|Poet|Speaker:race,whiteness,BlackHistory,dyspraxia/autismandmore|Work:https://treventour.com/contact/|NeurodivergentFollowMorefromMediumShainE.ThomasinHarshLightNews‘ST:SNW’:S1.E3.“GhostsofIllyria”AngelaMDiLoretoVisitingtheD-DayNationalMonumentinBedford,VirginiaKevinFosterTheUnconventionalProtagonistinBladeRunner2049NuhaHassan‘TheTsuguaDiaries’(2022)Review:AStoryToldinReverseintheAgeofIsolationHelpStatusWritersBlogCareersPrivacyTermsAboutKnowable