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credit, © Mola Headland Infrastructure
DNA analysis showed that this young man traveled to England from the far reaches of the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago
- author, Pallab Ghosh
- scroll, Science Reporter
How did a young man born 2,000 years ago near what is now southern Russia end up in the English countryside?
Research shows that the skeleton found in Cambridgeshire, England, is of a man from a nomadic group known as the Sarmatians.
This is the first biological evidence that these people came from areas of the Roman Empire to Britain and that some of them lived in the countryside.
The remains were discovered during excavations to improve the road between the cities of Cambridge and Huntingdon.
The scientific techniques used will help reveal the often untold stories of ordinary people behind major historical events.
It involves reading the genetic code in fossilized bone fragments from hundreds of thousands of years ago, which shows an individual’s racial origin.
credit, Pontus Skoglund
Marina Silva extracted ancient DNA and then analyzed its genetic code
Archaeologists have discovered the complete, well-preserved skeleton of a man, and have named it Offord Cluny 203645 – a combination of the name of the Cambridgeshire life where it was found (Offord Cluny) and its specimen number.
He was buried alone, without any personal belongings, in a pit, so there was not much to identify him.
Scientist Marina Silva, from the Ancient Genomics Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute in London, extracted and decoded Offord’s ancient DNA from a small bone taken from his inner ear, which was the best-preserved part of the entire skeleton.
“This is not like testing the DNA of a living person,” she explained.
“The DNA is very fragmented and damaged. However, we were able to (decode) it sufficiently. The first thing we saw was that genetically it was very different from other Romano-British individuals studied so far.”
The latest methods for analyzing ancient DNA are now able to flesh out the human stories behind events that, until recently, had only been reconstructed through documents and archaeological evidence.
They mainly tell the stories of the rich and powerful.
Cutting-edge research uses cutting-edge forensic science to unravel the mystery of an ordinary person – a young man buried in a ditch in Cambridgeshire between 126 and 228 AD, during the Roman occupation of Britain.
At first, archaeologists thought Offord was an ordinary find made by a local man.
But DNA analysis in the laboratory where Silva works showed that it originated from the far reaches of the Roman Empire, a region that now lies in southern Russia, Armenia and Ukraine.
Analysis showed that he was a Sarmatian, an Iranian-speaking people known for their horse-riding skills.
So how did he end up so far from home?
To find the answers, a team from the Department of Archeology at Durham University in England used another interesting analytical technique to examine its fossilized teeth, which show chemical traces of what it ate.
credit, Spring Ras Infrastructure
Dental analysis showed that his diet had gradually changed since he was five years old
Teeth develop over time, so, like tree rings, each layer records a “snapshot” of the chemicals that were surrounding it at the time.
The analysis showed that until he was 6 years old, he was eating corn and sorghum, scientifically known as C4 crops, which are abundant in the area where the Sarmatians are known to have lived.
But over time, the analysis showed a gradual decline in the consumption of these grains and more wheat, which is found in Western Europe, according to Professor Janet Montgomery.
“The analysis tells us that he, not his ancestors, made the journey to Britain. As he grew, he migrated west, and these plants disappeared from his diet.”
credit, Conrad Cichorius
Scene depicting the defeat of the Sarmatian army at the hands of Roman forces in 175 AD
Historical records indicate that Offord may have been the son of, or perhaps a slave of, a knight.
They show that at the time he lived, a Sarmatian cavalry unit integrated into the Roman army was sent to Britain.
DNA evidence confirms this reading, according to Alex Smith of the company that led the excavation, MOLA Headland Infrastructure.
“This is the first biological evidence,” he told the BBC.
“The availability of these chemical techniques and DNA analysis means that we can now ask different questions and look at how societies formed and were composed and how they developed in Roman times. This suggests that there was a much greater movement, not just in the cities, but also in the field.”
credit, © Mola Headland Infrastructure
The remains were discovered as part of excavations carried out as part of a road improvement project between the towns of Cambridge and Huntingdon.
Pontus Skogland, who leads the Crick Genomics Laboratory, told BBC News that new technology is changing our understanding of the past.
“The main impact of ancient DNA so far has been to improve our understanding of the Stone and Bronze Ages, but with better technologies, we are also beginning to change our understanding of the Roman and other periods.”
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