DNA from skeletons reveals where first people to call themselves English came from

Published

2 years ago

October 6, 2022

admin

Ancient DNA extracted from skeletons in burial sites across England has revealed where the first people to call themselves English originally came from.

The research, published in Current Archaeology, has found they largely descended from northern Europeans, mainly Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The findings have also challenged perceptions that English ancestors lived in small elite groups.

Evidence collected during the study suggests there was actually mass migration from Europe and the movement of people from as far as West Africa in the Middle Ages, archaeologists have said.

“This reminds us that our past isn’t this little quaint village where everybody dances around a maypole,” said Professor Duncan Sayer, project leader and archaeologist from the University of Central Lancashire.

“The research is a breakthrough: it challenges our perceptions and understanding of ancient England, showing how pivotal migration is to who we are, and for the first time allows us to explore community histories in new ways.”

The discoveries come from one of the largest ancient DNA projects in Europe, involving 460 people buried in graves between 200AD and 1300AD, with more than half from England.

The Updown Girl discovery

While the DNA analysis revealed significant population changes across the country in the Middle Ages, it also shed light on “striking” individual stories of those buried.

One of which was that of a young girl buried in Kent in the early 7th Century, researchers said.

Nicknamed Updown Girl, because she was found near a farm in Eastry with the same name, she was 10 or 11 years old when she died, the study found.

Buried alongside typical grave goods such as a pot, a bone comb and a knife, DNA analysis showed she descended of West African heritage on her father’s side, researchers said.

Based on how she was buried, the archaeologists said it was likely that she was treated the same as other family members, despite her different ancestry.

Two women of Northern European descent, likely to be the girl’s great aunts, were found buried similarly nearby.

“We found the granddaughter of a migrant who is part of a family that is biologically Northern European,” Prof Sayer added.

“She is buried in exactly the same way as everybody else… this story really highlights that if we are looking at ethnicity, it did not matter to these people.”

What other discoveries were made?

Other notable findings included the remains of a teenage boy in an early medieval cemetery in Yorkshire, with 100% Northern European ancestry.

He was buried with an armed brooch – an object that originated from Scandinavia.

At a cemetery near RAF Lakenheath, in East Anglia, a double grave containing a 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl was found.

They were buried alongside a knife and a buckle, and the remains of their father were found nearby, buried with a spear, knife and pottery sherd.

“Our work shows that this migration cannot be understood as one single event; rather, it’s made up of many different threads – of individual people and families adapting to new circumstances across the regions of Britain,” Prof Sayer said.

“It is amazing being able to weave those threads together to create the fabric of their stories and, in doing so, the rich and complex tapestry of our own past.”

UK

Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens

Published

56 mins ago

November 23, 2024

admin

Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens

Two people detained during a security incident at Gatwick Airport have been allowed to continue their journeys after a suspect package saw a “large part” of the South Terminal evacuated.

The terminal was closed for hours after the discovery of a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s luggage sparked an emergency response. It reopened at around 3.45pm.

Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team “made the package safe” before handing the airport back to its operator, Sussex Police said.

Their statement continued: “Two people who were detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys.

“There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel.”

The force also thanked the public and airport staff for their patience while the incident was ongoing.

Earlier the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.

“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” it later said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

“The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”

Gatwick said some flights were cancelled while others were delayed.

It said passengers should contact their airlines for any updates on flights.

Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.

“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.

“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down,” another passenger added, who said “thousands” of people were forced to leave.

Another passenger said people near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.

People outside the airport were handed blankets and water, passengers told Sky News.

The airport said its North Terminal was still operating normally.

Gatwick Express said its trains did not call at Gatwick Airport during the police response, but the airport said trains would start calling there again once the terminal was fully reopened.

More than 600 flights were due to take off or land at Gatwick on Friday, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

UK

Starmer says UK will ‘set out a path’ to raise defence spending to 2.5%

Published

4 hours ago

November 23, 2024

admin

Starmer says UK will 'set out a path' to raise defence spending to 2.5%

The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

Ukraine war latest: Follow live updates

A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.