A new DNA analysis of ancient human remains has confirmed that London was ethnically diverse from its very beginnings, according to researchers at the Museum of London. The study, conducted with scientists from Durham University and McMaster University in Canada, examined the DNA of four individuals from a collection of 20,000 skeletons spanning 5,500 years.
The results show that among the first Londoners were people from North Africa, continental Europe, and native Britons. Caroline McDonald, senior curator at the Museum of London, said: 'The thing to remember with the original Londoners is that they were not born here. Every first-generation Londoner was from somewhere else.'
One of the most complete skeletons was a 14-year-old girl, dubbed 'The Lant Street teenager', who grew up in North Africa. DNA analysis revealed she had blue eyes and Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Another individual, 'The Mansell Street man', was over 45 with dark hair and brown eyes, and his mitochondrial DNA traced to North Africa, though he grew up in London.
A third individual, possibly a gladiator, had a mother from Eastern Europe or the Middle East and died a violent death in London. The 'Harper Road woman' was a first-generation Londoner from continental Europe. The findings challenge previous assumptions about the city's early population and highlight its cosmopolitan nature from the Roman period onwards.
