Mark, it really wasn't though was it. They brought troops and families, then left. Then the tribes moved back in. Even DNA shows this.
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> plus some evidence from countryside too etc, e.g. https://twitter.com/caitlinrgreen/status/735761635806060544 … ...
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Honestly Caitlin, if several hundred brits were found in Africa would that make it ethnically diverse or a fragment of history?
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Well, there are graves of Britons in Roman-era N. Africa and Near East, but I think the evidence we have suggests a significant degree of >
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> diversity in at least urban populations and also beyond in Roman Britain, which is def worth noting given the evidence we have esp re: >
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I'd say east med ethnically diverse, it's was a hotbed for everything. Britain on fringe not diverse. Just a colony. A wet one at that.

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True on weather: some of the letters home requesting socks show people underwhelmed by the weather here! But I guess my point here is that >
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> if you look at the major cities, have evidence of *considerable* diversity in the Roman-era urban populations, as well as on the Wall etc>
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> and where we have evidence from other areas we find it there too. E.g. even in 'post-Roman' south Wales (5–7thC) we have likely African >
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So would that denote an auxiliary unit stationed for a longer period or a transitioned unit, maybe traders also?
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Some are these are proper urban cemeteries, not simply military or similar, refelting the urban population. Worth noting too that 40+% of >
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> Roman era cemeteries so far examined include at least one person (& often many more) likely to be of African descent or brought up there…
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Still curious though, why so little roman/auxiliary DNA evidence of populace shows, compared to Saxon and Viking?
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Modern DNA evidence is horribly difficult to use historically, I fear; lots of methodological issues. Plus academic studies vary wildly in >
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> their claimed conclusions, from suggesting c.10% Anglo-Saxon DNA contribution to 50%+/total popn replacement etc! On top of that, >
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> modelling work suggests that modern DNA evidence at high end of range could develop from AS migration involving as little as 5% of >
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> of the 5th/6thC popn under right circumstances. For these and other reasons, modern DNA therefore needs to be used v cautiously! :)
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Don't worry, I'm just a curious sod on everything, plenty to learn. A life's process.
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Honestly I'm curious as the roman impact was huge, yet left little DNA compared to Viking and Saxon.
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