We all tend to make certain assumptions about race when reading about history or researching ancestors. Many of us think of international travel as a relatively recent phenomenon of the past few centuries. However, that is not true. In fact, mankind has been roaming around the globe apparently since the beginning of the species.
David Derbyshire wrote an interesting article that appears in the 11 June 2004 edition of The Daily Telegraph. Derbyshire points out that the Romans maintained a colony of African soldiers in England nearly 2,000 years ago. These soldiers patrolled Hadrian's Wall. Archaeologists say there is compelling evidence that a 500-strong unit of Moors manned a fort near Carlisle in the third century AD.
Archaeologists believe that these Africans settled in the area and raised families. Richard Benjamin, an archaeologist at Liverpool University who has studied the history of black Britons, is calling for a major study of black Roman Britons. He believes that DNA tests of locals could reveal genetic links with modern-day North Africans, while skeletons of Romans found in the area might contain telltale clues to their origins.
You can read the entire story at The Daily Telegraph's Web site at http://tinyurl.com/2fypg.
My thanks to Frank Mitchell for telling me about this news story.
