Study Uncovers African Ancestry in Early Medieval Britain

A fascinating DNA analysis has dramatically reshaped our understanding of early medieval England, revealing that two individuals buried 1,300 years ago in English cemeteries had recent West African ancestry. Excavated from graves in Kent and Dorset, the man and woman showed striking genetic ties to present-day Yoruba, Mende, Mandenka, and Esan peoples. Published in Antiquity, the findings shatter previous assumptions that newcomers to England during this period originated only from nearby European regions. Crucially, both were buried as integrated community members, not as outsiders or slaves. Their presence is now thought to be linked to far-reaching Byzantine trade networks that connected the world, bringing people and African gold to British shores. The discovery underscores England’s surprising cosmopolitanism more than a millennium ago.

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