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DNA Study Uncovers West African Heritage in Early Medieval England

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Updown Cemetery Girl’s Skeletons Reveal West African Ancestry

M George et al.

The discovery of two unrelated young men buried in British cemeteries during the early Middle Ages suggests they may have had grandparents from West Africa. The exact means by which their ancestors arrived in the UK remains unknown, but this insight implies that Anglo-Saxon immigration was far more complex than previously assumed.

Following the Romans’ withdrawal from England in 410 AD, the British Isles were invaded and settled by Germanic tribes including the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. To explore the possibility of migration from other regions, Duncan Sayer and his colleagues from The University of Central Lancashire conducted an analysis of ancient DNA obtained from skeletons in two 7th-century cemeteries located on the southern coast of England.

One of these cemeteries is found in Kent, where a wealth of traded artifacts from various regions were unearthed, including Frankish pottery, buckles, and brooches. Burial customs at this site indicate that items such as cookware, cutlery, and combs were included with the dead.

The other site is the Matravars cemetery in western Dorset, which had fewer individuals interred with Romano-British practices.

While the majority of individuals buried here had ancestry from Northern Europeans or Western British and Irish, both the Updown girl and the young man from Worth Matravers exhibited genetic ties to West Africa, likely from grandparents.

In both cases, mitochondrial DNA, inherited maternally, traced back to Northern Europe; however, the autosomal DNA, inherited from both parents, revealed 20-40% ancestry from West African groups such as Esan, Yoruba, Mende, and Mandinka.

This indicates that the West African DNA likely traces back to their grandparents, marking the first known genetic link between Britain and Africa during the early Middle Ages.

Both individuals were interred as typical members of their community. DNA analysis revealed that the Updown girl had relatives—a grandmother and an aunt—buried in the same cemetery, who were approximately 11-13 years old when she died.

Examination of the carbon-nitrogen isotope ratios in the bone samples of the young man from Worth Matravers, who lived between the ages of 17 and 25, suggested insights into his diet during his growth period.

“His dietary habits suggest he was born and raised in the UK,” notes team member Ceiridwen Edwards from Huddersfield University.

Edwards indicates that evidence of West African DNA in York existed during the Roman period; however, Sayer contends that the proportion of West African DNA in these individuals is significantly lower than that of descendants from the Roman era. “This finding pertains to grandparents, rather than survivors of the Roman legions or administrators stationed for centuries,” he asserts.

Moreover, there is no evidence to support the notion that these individuals were enslaved, according to Sayer:

Instead, it suggests a context of transactions and mobility of people and goods. At some point, West Africans may have arrived in England aboard trade ships and settled here.

Sayer speculates that their arrival could have been tied to North Africa’s connection with the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century, driven by military interests in accessing gold from sub-Saharan Africa. “The revitalization of this trade route coincides with a time when we can identify these grandparents,” he remarks.

“This research underscores the dynamic state of what we refer to as post-[Western] Rome and the early medieval period in England,” comments Marina Soares da Silva at the Francis Crick Institute in London. “The authors propose a trade route supported by Byzantine governance in North Africa, which I consider a plausible scenario.”

According to Sayer, 7th-century England was not merely a collection of isolated communities in a ‘dark age,’ but rather dynamic societies engaging in trade and genetic exchanges with West Africa and beyond.

Historic Herculaneum – Discover Vesuvius, Pompeii, Ancient Naples

The exploration of history and archaeology takes you on an intriguing journey where the past comes alive through Mount Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

DOOM: The Dark Ages Review – ID Software Takes a Medieval Twist with a Bold Redefinition of Shooter Gameplay

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Built as a reimagining of id Software’s 2016 “Doom Eternal,” “Dark Ages” diverges significantly while still echoing the essence of its lineage. Whereas the 2020 iteration focused on speed and evasion, “Dark Ages” emphasizes a staunch, grounded approach. If the previous game revolved around eliminating foes one at a time, this installment empowers players to obliterate hordes of demons simultaneously. The frantic, rapid-fire nature of “Eternal” gives way to a brute force mentality in “Dark Ages,” where smashing through enemies becomes the primary strategy. The essence of ripping and tearing is still prevalent, with an emphasis on raw power.

At the heart of “Dark Ages” lies a combat system reminiscent of the original 1993 game, drawing inspiration from slowly launched projectiles from iconic enemies like Imps, Kakodemons, and Hell Knights. This new chapter intensifies those encounters, featuring an array of foes that hurl fireballs, floating orbs, and energy barriers, all while straying from the traditional two-dimensional arena.




The interdimensional battlefield shimmers with energy.
Photo: ID Software

Players must navigate these new challenges as they control slower, heftier slayers of doom. Shields play a crucial defensive role against various projectiles, not only blocking attacks but also reflecting some back at their origin. Successfully countering projectile attacks catches opponents off guard and opens them up for “glorious kills.” Although brutal, these maneuvers are generally less intricate than in earlier games, often reduced to straightforward punches and kicks.

While many demons follow easily recognizable attack patterns, the most formidable adversaries engage in fierce close-range duels. These confrontations occur within expansive arenas, where smaller foes swarm around larger ones, often shielded by rows of undead minions. ID Software has introduced several innovative weapons to tackle these hellish legions, including railroad spike launchers that absorb demons and shotguns that deliver devastating close-quarter firepower.




The scale is remarkable.
Photo: ID Software

This captivating reformulation of core combat mechanics provides as much enjoyment in mastering its rhythm as it does in witnessing its destructive consequences. However, the slower pace and limited toolset may not evoke the same adrenaline rush at its peak as previous entries.

This slower pacing is amplified by the expansive design of “Dark Ages.” With 22 levels that are often open-ended, players can choose their battles and discover secrets in their preferred order. Yet, despite the impressive scale, the traversal can become monotonous, resulting in a feeling that the game may not fully capitalize on its combat potential.

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ID Software tries to counteract the slow tempo by incorporating diverse gameplay mechanics. Certain maps allow players to pilot a massive mech named Atlan, delivering impactful punches to colossal demons, while others introduce aerial maneuvers atop dragons. While these elements bring novelty, they tend to lack significant depth, recalling the mandatory vehicle sections prevalent in early 2000s shooters.

Nonetheless, I appreciate the experimental nature of “Dark Ages.” The developers seem committed to exploring new directions, striving not to rely solely on past successes like some other franchises. Their goal appears to be redefining shooter mechanics with every new release. While “Dark Ages” may not reach the heights of previous ID Software titles, it remains a well-crafted and thoughtfully designed shooter that delivers heavy hitting moments.

“DOOM: The Dark Ages” is set to launch on May 15th, priced at £70.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Surprising Furry Secrets Hidden within Mystical Medieval Book Covers

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Medieval scribes fill a volume called veterinarians with illustrations and descriptions of fantastic creatures. Manuscripts containing representations of these animals also relied on the beast zoo. These and other volume covers were made from calf, goat, sheep, deer and pig skins.

Most of these skins were removed before they were converted to book bindings. However, the medieval manuscript sets in northeastern France have a distinctive finish. The weathered cover is covered with hair.

Matthew Collins, a biofactorologist at the University of Copenhagen and Cambridge and author of the new study, said: However, it turns out to be difficult to pinpoint the source of hairy leather.

These furry books appear to be at home at the Hogwarts Library, but were originally written by Clairvaux Abbey, a hub of the Cistercians, the orders of the Catholic monk Ks. Founded in the Champagne Adennes region of France in 1115, the monastery was located in one of the largest monastery libraries in medieval Europe.

Approximately 1,450 volumes of the monastery’s extensive corpus survive. Approximately half of these manuscripts remain in the original, fragile bindings. Many were tied in Romanesque style in the 12th and 13th centuries, parchment was placed between wooden boards fixed with thread and cord.

At Clairvaux Abbey, these Romanesque books were often housed in secondary covers, bristled with fur. Traditionally, this creepy leather was thought to be made from wild boars and deer. However, the hair follicles of some manuscripts do not match the fur of either mammal.

Dr. Collins and his colleagues examined the hairy covers of 16 manuscripts once housed at Clairebaud Abbey. Researchers rubbed the sides of the leather meat with an eraser and carefully removed the crumb-sized sample. We then used various techniques to analyze the protein sequences and bits of the ancient DNA of leather.

Their findings published in the journal on Wednesday Royal Society Open Sciencereveals that the book is tied to seal skins, not to local land mammal skins. Some books are tied up in the skin of harbor seals, and at least one came from harp seals. Comparing them to modern DNA suggests that the origins of Scandinavian and Scottish seals, or as far as Iceland and Greenland.

These different territories were once connected by complex medieval trading networks. During the Middle Ages, Scandinavian traders harvested walrus ivory and fur from Greenland and sent them to mainland Europe. Clairebaud and his monks were far more inland from these coastal front posts, but the monastery was near a trafficked trade route.

The discoveries shed light on medieval society, according to Mary Wellesley, a fellow at the London Institute of Historical Studies, who specializes in medieval manuscripts and was not involved in new papers.

“The small details of the manuscript can tell you a lot about the world that created them,” Dr. Wellesley said. “It’s a common assumption that people didn’t move around, but these monasteries are part of this incredible network of goods, books and ideas.”

Seals were a valuable product for meat, dull, waterproof skin. This could be made into boots or gloves. Some records even claim that Sealskin was used to pay church taxes. Coastal communities in Scandinavian and Ireland used Sealskin to bind books, but this practice was far more unusual in the mainland Europe.

However, Cistercian monks apparently liked Sealskin’s books. Examples of these furry manuscripts have been found in other Abbeys, descendants of Clairevaux. These monks used this material to combine the most important documents, including historical information about the Cistercians, historical information about St. Bernard.

According to Dr. Collins, the fur color of the seal may explain the preference of the monks for using animal skins. The cover of the manuscript is now yellowish-gray or spotted brown, but was once wrapped in the white fur of a seal puppy. This shade matched the best of the monks’ dissatisfaction.

“In medieval Europe, you really don’t have anything white or white,” said Dr. Collins. “It must have been very magical.”

The seal itself appears to resemble the magical entity of the monk ks. In medieval veterinarians, seals are labelled “sea calves,” resembling dogs that have raised fish tails.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Review: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – A Gritty Depiction of Medieval Bohemia’s Hardships

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lIfe was tough in the 16th century Bohemia. That way, you’ll be at your virtual counterpart. The first 10 hours of this game were totally miserable. Stepping into the mud-stained boots of Henry, a humble blacksmith-turned-knight, I am sent to convey my message in war-torn regions. But before Henry could fulfill his duties, he became a victim of a fatal ambush, leaving himself and his Lord Hans Capon, without a penny or sword in their names I’ve been stuck.

No one believes you are a nobleman as strangers arrive in tattered rags, bloody and desperate. Towns Fork will comment on your smell and refuse to let you enter various facilities. It is a truly humble gaming experience, creating a calm recreation of what it is like to be in the oppressed things of medieval society.

The main story is ultimately driving you away with an increasingly impressive exploit, but in the early games, simply survive the day, an adventure in itself. In this harsh feudal fantasy, you can save just two ways: sleep in your bed or drink a bottle of Savior Schnapps. When you can’t afford to spend the night at the inn – and Henry has no horses – the journey across each new map is dangerous. Some of these early deaths cost me hours of progress.




A painstaking … The Kingdom Comes: Rescue 2. Photo: Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver

Once you can follow some paths to Groschen and steal them, your fate will begin to change. At Kingdom, maintaining its appearance is essential. Townspeople notice your scars and blood sporadic clothing. Innkeepers are less likely to take you to a burglar if you take a bath. The wealthier you become, the easier life will be. Even getting dressed well will help convince the guards of your innocence when you are caught with a redhead.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is filled with friction that most modern games actively avoid. I was totally immersed in this cruel, believable simulation – even when it was kicking my ass. This is a role-playing game in which even the simple act of making potions can cause food to spoil and poison you, and even fast travel is not even safe. Words to the Sage – Don’t accidentally appear in the wrong bed. It ends on a night spent confused by inventory.

Like Bethesda’s Skyrim, you learn by doing it. Do you want to improve your running? Sprint while wearing the heaviest armor you can find. A flashy command conversation? Concentrate half a day in the game to read books. First-person duels in the original game are welcome, allowing players to lock into deadly games, mess up, block, and read the opponent’s stance. It’s a deadly dance that doesn’t feel like anything else in the game, but if swordsmanship isn’t for you, you can hone your marksmanship, double stealth, or use your tongue as a sharp weapon. Masu.

In conversation, you can role-play Henry. No matter how much you play, the writing is consistently and convincing, and the characters are as intentionally consistent as your gameplay. Despite its crazy misery, the kingdom has a comedic spirit. From molestation mirrors collecting sediments from corpses to solving differences with soldiers through loud drinking games, there is also humor in the most inactive interactions. Developer Warhorse Studios is wise to keep players smiling, even if they are breathing and cursing the game.




The Spirit of Comedy… The Kingdom Comes: Rescue 2. Photo: Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver

It’s extremely rewarding to see Henry slowly transform from an incompetent person into a horrifying being. Once you lift yourself up with a bootstrap, Jant across this country will see you infiltrate a noble wedding, plan a prison break, and even protect the besieged castle. Kingdom Come 2 World inevitably features the kind of bugs you’d expect from a vast RPG, but it helps to be a very handsome game. The grass sways in the wind and in the villages and towns.

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If there’s a game that takes a “tough love” approach, that’s it. Early times feel like the playable equivalent of being sent to a military school and demands sacred patience, but that’s a rewarding investment. Just like before Red Dead Redemption 2, I’m willing to lose time wandering through this vast simulation and want to see the wonders and practics that I might trip. Despite spending over 115 hours in Bohemia, I’m saying that I haven’t rolled at my credits yet to the main quest line. If you are not inspired by the prospect of roaming yet another frictionless open world where everything comes easily, the Kingdom comes: Rescue 2 is a breath of fresh air.

Source: www.theguardian.com

London’s Medieval Horses Originated from Faraway Lands

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International trade may have helped medieval elites obtain the best horses for jousting tournaments

Prisma Archive / Alamy

Analysis of horse teeth unearthed in a London cemetery suggests that the horses owned by medieval England's elite were likely imported from continental Europe and may have traveled hundreds of kilometers.

In the 1990s, a commercial excavator accidentally discovered an unusually large horse burial ground in central London. Subsequent excavations at the site, now known as Elberton Street Cemetery, uncovered the full or partial remains of 70 horses. Some graves date him from 1425 to 1517, but the cemetery may have been in use over a wider period.

“This is a great example of the only true horse cemetery in medieval England,” he says. Oliver Clayton at the University of Exeter, UK. “We usually [horse remains] Very few are scattered on archaeological sites. ”

To learn more about the origins and lives of these medieval horses, Creighton and his colleagues collected and analyzed molars from 15 horses buried at the site.

Plants from different parts of the world contain different levels of carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotopes, or atoms with different numbers of neutrons. When animals eat these plants, these isotopes accumulate in their bones and teeth over time. By analyzing the chemical signature of the horse's teeth, the researchers were able to determine where it likely came from.

It said this revealed that at least seven people came from abroad, possibly from Scandinavia or the Western Alps. alexander pryoralso at the University of Exeter.

“These were also the largest medieval horses ever discovered in Britain,” Pryor said, noting that Britain's elite may have sought out the best horses from Europe. Suggests.

The arrangement of their teeth seemed to suggest the use of special mouthpieces normally reserved for horses groomed for combat and jousting tournaments.

“The horse likely came from the equestrian arena at the Palace of Westminster, just a kilometer away,” Clayton said.

“The nature of horse teeth, with their very tall crowns growing over many years, offers great potential for research using isotopes to track the movements of individual horses over their lifetime,” he said. To tell. david orton At York University, UK. “But this is the first paper I've seen that seems to take full advantage of that potential.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Fra Mauro: Transforming Cartography into a Science with the Epic Medieval Map

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Fra Mauro’s beautiful and intricate world map

History_docu_photo/Alamy

When I was in Venice a few years ago, I visited the Corer Museum to absorb the history of the city. Located in St. Mark’s Square, this museum features imposing statues and paintings of naval battles and ancient weapons. However, as I passed the last exhibition room, another artifact caught my eye, hanging alone in an alcove. It was a map of the world, or “mappa mundi” in Latin, and it was unlike any other map I had ever come across.

The world depicted here in an 8-foot-diameter gold frame is a combination of lapping blue ocean and off-white land, all covered in handwritten notes. It was one of the most beautiful, beautifully intricate things I’ve ever seen.

Created 550 years ago by a monk called Fra Mauro, the map was largely ignored for centuries, but it shows a level of accuracy not present in previous maps. Considering this, it is a deplorable situation. If you turn it upside down, you can recognize it as a map of Africa and Eurasia, with Mauro placed south at the top.

After visiting Venice, I decided to find out more about this map. This project culminated in my book. The dark sea begins here. I spent over a year researching his literature on world maps, poring over Mauro’s creations, and trying to understand what he was trying to say. It turned out to be part of the inflection point from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.

Source: www.newscientist.com