The British have lost a queen, but through the miracles of genetics they have found their ancestors.
A study published in the journal
Nature
traces the history of the populations of Great Britain at the end of the Roman Empire.
An international team of 70 scientists analyzed 460 genomes taken from human remains from the 2nd to 13th centuries.
They then compared them to the genetic data of 4,000 ancient Europeans and 10,000 contemporary ones.
Thus in the 5th century AD, about 75% of the population of eastern and southern England was made up of migrant families whose ancestors must have originated from continental regions bordering the North Sea, in particular the -Bas, Germany and Denmark.
These results are part of a long-standing debate that runs through British historiography: are the cultural changes observed at the end of the Roman Empire around the 5th century AD linked to an upheaval of the populations…
This article is for subscribers only.
You have 79% left to discover.
Pushing back the limits of science is also freedom.
Keep reading your article for €0.99 for the first month
I ENJOY IT
Already subscribed?
Login
