DNA records reveal mass migration from Europe into Anglo-Saxon Britain

2 years ago 135

In immoderate parts of England successful Anglo-Saxon times, much than three-quarters of the population's ancestry could beryllium traced to caller migration from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands

Humans 21 September 2022

By Clare Wilson

The investigation of a sedate astatine Issendorf cemetery successful Germany

In Anglo-Saxon times, much than three-quarters of the ancestry of radical successful parts of England was from caller northbound European migrants.

The finding, which comes from sequencing the DNA of radical buried successful the UK and mainland Europe during this clip period, whitethorn settee an ongoing statement astir conscionable however overmuch migration happened successful Anglo-Saxon times, says Duncan Sayer astatine the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, UK.

The accepted view, based connected written records and archaeological finds, is determination was an influx of Europeans into Britain successful Anglo-Saxon times – classed arsenic from the extremity of Roman Empire control, astatine astir AD 400, until 1066.

But much recently, determination has been statement implicit conscionable however galore radical migrated.

There could person been conscionable tiny numbers of migrants, who past dispersed aspects of their culture, specified arsenic their buildings and pottery styles. “There are galore respectable historians who deliberation determination was precise small migration, says Robin Fleming astatine Boston College successful Massachusetts.

To larn more, Sayer’s squad sequenced the DNA of 460 radical who were buried successful graves betwixt AD 200 and 1300, of whom 278 were from England.

This showed that during the 7th period AD, radical buried successful the eastbound of England could hint 76 per cent of their ancestry to caller migration from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

This would beryllium equivalent to idiosyncratic having 3 of their 4 grandparents calved successful Europe, says Sayer’s colleague, Stephan Schiffels astatine the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology successful Leipzig, Germany.

Bodies taken from graves further to the westbound of England had a little proportionality of their ancestry from Europe, implying that the migrants archetypal made their homes successful the east.

Fleming says the findings corroborate determination was wide migration from Europe into immoderate parts of Britain. “This does thing a batch of america person been looking for.”

“This brings the thought of migration backmost onto the array again,” says Sayer.

Journal reference: Nature , DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05247-2