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<\/strong><\/h4>\nMigration from across the Roman Empire<\/strong><\/h4>\nThey found that a significant number of the individuals were migrants, many with mixed-race ancestry, particularly in the late Roman settlements of York and Winchester. Significantly, the migrant populations also included women and children, which conflicts with the popular view that it was mainly adult males who moved across the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no doubt that there were people from other parts of the world in Roman Britain. There was already evidence from inscriptions \u2013 for example, North Africans are attested on Hadrian\u2019s Wall \u2013 but our research shows the presence of people from areas such as Germany, Poland, and the Middle East, as well as from Africa. There was\u00a0undoubtedly more diversity among Romano-British populations than previously thought,\u201d explains Dr Eckardt, who recently won the prestigious Current Archaeology \u2018Archaeologist of the Year\u2019 award.<\/p>\n
Bringing history to life and changing perceptions<\/strong><\/h4>\nAs part of the project, the team brought the stories of some Roman Britons to life, including the \u2018Ivory Bangle Lady\u2019, a mixed-race female from York who had been buried with rich exotic and local artefacts. The Ivory Bangle Lady now features in educational workshops and a video, which has been shared widely on social media. Dr Eckardt says: \u201cshe illustrates African migration, possibly in the second generation, as well as female mobility and high status.\u201d<\/p>\n
The success of this project has led to follow-on-funding from AHRC and a collaboration with the Runnymede Trust that has helped develop a range of online and museum teaching resources\u00a0that\u00a0have been shared with thousands of school children. The website is changing teachers\u2019 and children\u2019s view of the Romans, providing engaging educational materials on migration, diversity and archaeological evidence. Thanks to widespread media coverage, the research findings have changed public perceptions.<\/p>\n
Creating controversy<\/strong><\/h4>\nBut not everyone has been willing to accept the team\u2019s findings. Some people feel that educational materials depicting African Romans are a product of \u2018political correctness\u2019, and that immigrants would not have held positions of authority.<\/p>\n
A \u2018Twitter-storm\u2019 erupted in August 2017 over a BBC cartoon which depicted a high-ranking black soldier in Roman Britain. But, says Dr Eckardt the cartoon and, more than that, its underpinning research, is: \u201centirely accurate. The vehemence of some responses just goes to show how fascinating Roman Britain is to so many people and how relevant archaeological research can be to current debates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fast Facts<\/h3>\n\n- Dr Eckardt worked with colleagues\u00a0Drs Mary Lewis and Gundula M\u00fcldner in an AHRC-funded project on mobility and diversity in Roman Britain.<\/li>\n
- These included studying the geographical origins of 150 individuals from late Roman Britain by measuring the levels of particular chemical markers (isotopes) in their bones and teeth.<\/li>\n
- The new findings has led to follow-on-funding from AHRC and a collaboration with the Runnymede Trust \u00a0also prompted a redesign of the \u2018People of Roman York\u2019 gallery at the Yorkshire Museum, as part of a complete refurbishment in 2010<\/li>\n
- The new \u2018People of Roman York\u2019 gallery display features the skulls, facial reconstructions and \u2018life-stories\u2019 of six individuals studied by the research team, highlighting the diversity of the Roman population<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Further information<\/h3>\n
As part of the project, the team brought the stories of some Roman Britons to life, including the \u2018Ivory Bangle Lady\u2019, a mixed-race female from York who had been buried with rich exotic and local artefacts. The Ivory Bangle Lady now features in educational workshops and a video, which has been shared widely on social media. Dr Eckardt says: \u201cshe illustrates African migration, possibly in the second generation, as well as female mobility and high status.\u201d<\/p>\n
The success of this project has led to follow-on-funding from AHRC and a collaboration with the Runnymede Trust that has helped develop a range of online and museum teaching resources\u00a0that\u00a0have been shared with thousands of school children. The website is changing teachers\u2019 and children\u2019s view of the Romans, providing engaging educational materials on migration, diversity and archaeological evidence. Thanks to widespread media coverage, the research findings have changed public perceptions.<\/p>\n
Creating controversy<\/strong><\/h4>\nBut not everyone has been willing to accept the team\u2019s findings. Some people feel that educational materials depicting African Romans are a product of \u2018political correctness\u2019, and that immigrants would not have held positions of authority.<\/p>\n
A \u2018Twitter-storm\u2019 erupted in August 2017 over a BBC cartoon which depicted a high-ranking black soldier in Roman Britain. But, says Dr Eckardt the cartoon and, more than that, its underpinning research, is: \u201centirely accurate. The vehemence of some responses just goes to show how fascinating Roman Britain is to so many people and how relevant archaeological research can be to current debates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fast Facts<\/h3>\n\n- Dr Eckardt worked with colleagues\u00a0Drs Mary Lewis and Gundula M\u00fcldner in an AHRC-funded project on mobility and diversity in Roman Britain.<\/li>\n
- These included studying the geographical origins of 150 individuals from late Roman Britain by measuring the levels of particular chemical markers (isotopes) in their bones and teeth.<\/li>\n
- The new findings has led to follow-on-funding from AHRC and a collaboration with the Runnymede Trust \u00a0also prompted a redesign of the \u2018People of Roman York\u2019 gallery at the Yorkshire Museum, as part of a complete refurbishment in 2010<\/li>\n
- The new \u2018People of Roman York\u2019 gallery display features the skulls, facial reconstructions and \u2018life-stories\u2019 of six individuals studied by the research team, highlighting the diversity of the Roman population<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Further information<\/h3>\n
- \n
- Dr Eckardt worked with colleagues\u00a0Drs Mary Lewis and Gundula M\u00fcldner in an AHRC-funded project on mobility and diversity in Roman Britain.<\/li>\n
- These included studying the geographical origins of 150 individuals from late Roman Britain by measuring the levels of particular chemical markers (isotopes) in their bones and teeth.<\/li>\n
- The new findings has led to follow-on-funding from AHRC and a collaboration with the Runnymede Trust \u00a0also prompted a redesign of the \u2018People of Roman York\u2019 gallery at the Yorkshire Museum, as part of a complete refurbishment in 2010<\/li>\n
- The new \u2018People of Roman York\u2019 gallery display features the skulls, facial reconstructions and \u2018life-stories\u2019 of six individuals studied by the research team, highlighting the diversity of the Roman population<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Further information<\/h3>\n