An ancient woman thought to have hailed from sub-Saharan Africa and therefore to have been the first known Black Briton actually had fairer skin and was from southern England, researchers using new DNA sequencing have found.
The remains of the individual, who became known as Beachy Head Woman, were found in the collections of Eastbourne Town Hall in southern England in 2012, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
Radiocarbon dating showed that she died between 129 and 311 AD, when Britain was ruled by the Romans.
In 2013, scientists concluded that she came from sub-Saharan Africa, earning her the distinction of being the first known Black Briton, based on the measurements of different parts of her skull — a traditional method of ancestry estimation.
Then, in 2017, analysis based on low-level genetic sequencing led researchers to hypothesize that she was from the Mediterranean.
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