For more than a decade, scientists believed they had their hands on the skeletal remains of a young woman whom they recognized as the first Black Brit. Now, a new report reveals that advanced DNA analysis technology tells a different story, and the woman isn’t actually Black at all.
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According to a Dec. 17 report from the Journal of Archaeological Science, the woman long referred to as “Beachy Head Woman” isn’t Black at all, and was actually from southern England. The woman’s skeletal remains were found in East Sussex in 2010. Based on measurements they took of her skull, researchers determined that the woman had Sub-Saharan African ancestry and lived sometime between the second and fourth centuries A.D., when Britain was part of the Roman Empire. They put together a facial reconstruction of what they believed she would have looked like.
In 2017, scientists used genetic sequencing to trace Beachy Head Woman’s roots to the Mediterranean. Now, even more advanced technology has helped scientists pinpoint her lineage to England.
After studying her remains, researchers determined that Beachy Head Woman was between 18 and 25 years old when she died. They then used a 3D scan of the woman’s skull to create a photo of what she would have looked like, fair skin, light hair and all.
You can see images of both the Black and the white version of Beachy Head Woman here:
“By using state-of-the-art DNA techniques, we were able to resolve the origins of this individual,” William Marsh, a population geneticist at London’s Natural History Museum, said. “We show she carries genetic ancestry that is most similar to other individuals from the local population of Roman-era Britain.”
In a statement, Selina Brace, a senior author of the study, said they keep looking for answers as their scientific knowledge evolves.
“Thanks to the advancement of technology that has occurred in the past decade since Beachy Head Woman first came to light, we are excited to report these new comprehensive data and share more about this individual and her life,” she said.
But some online wonder how scientists ever thought Beachy Head Woman was Black.
“How on earth could there have EVER been an indigenous Black Briton? Has anyone seen the weather over here?” wrote someone on X.
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