The identity of a Roman-era individual found in southern England has finally been resolved after scientists at UCL and the Natural History Museum were able to sequence high quality DNA from her skeletal remains.
Once theorised to have origins in sub-Saharan Africa or possibly the Mediterranean, the first comprehensive scientific study to be carried out on the Beachy Head Woman has now revealed that her origins were in fact much closer to home.
The nationwide team re-examined the ~2,000-year-old individual with the latest technologies, and report in a Journal of Archaeological Science paper that Beachy Head Woman descended from the local British population of Roman-era southern England.
Dr William Marsh of the Nature History Museum, who performed the latest DNA analysis, said, "By using state-of-the-art DNA techniques we were able to resolve the origins of this individual. We show she carries genetic ancestry that is most similar to other individuals from the local population of Roman-era Britain."
Little has been certain about this individual since her discovery, until now. Radiocarbon dating showed she died between 129 and 311 CE (AD), corresponding to the Roman occupation of Britain. Analysis of her skeletal remains suggest that she was around 18-25 years old when she died and stood at just over 4.9 feet tall. A healed wound on her leg suggests a serious but non-fatal injury at some point in her life. Dietary analysis looking at the carbon and nitrogen values in her bones also revealed that her diet likely included a lot of seafood.
Tracing the origins of Beachy Head Woman
The Roman-era individual was brought to light in 2012 when her remains were uncovered in the collections of Eastbourne Town Hall. Details on the box she was found within suggested that the skeleton had been found at the nearby headland, Beachy Head, in the 1950s but no details of an excavation have yet to be recovered.
The Beachy Head Woman's story became more intriguing when initial morphometric analysis suggested she originated from sub-Saharan Africa; this result informed a display at the Eastbourne Museum and captured media attention. Then in 2017, unpublished DNA work suggested she was more likely to have come from the Mediterranean rather than Africa, possibly Cyprus. However, this finding was based upon limited DNA data, insufficient for robust conclusions, leaving many questions about the Beachy Head Woman unanswered.
The study's first author, PhD student Andy Walton (UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment) said: "Using newly developed DNA sequencing technology, we were able to retrieve about 10x the amount of DNA from Beachy Head Woman's remains as the attempt in 2017. It was this, combined with advances in computational methods and genetic datasets which allowed us to tell so much more about her than ever before. Her story is an illustration of how scientists can use these tools to revisit findings and learn more about our ancestors.
"It's always a real privilege to be able to work with human remains, so it was really important that we found out as much as we could about Beachy Head Woman and got her story right."
Senior author Dr Selina Brace, Merit researcher at the Museum and honorary researcher at UCL, added: "Our scientific knowledge and understanding is constantly evolving, and as scientists, it's our job to keep pushing for answers. 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."
