Genomic signals of migration and continuity in Britain before the Anglo-Saxons

Rui Martiniano, Anwen Caffell, Malin Holst, Kurt Hunter-Mann, Janet Montgomery, Gundula Müldner, Russell L. McLaughlin, Matthew D. Teasdale, Wouter van Rheenen, Jan H. Veldink, Leonard H. van den Berg, Orla Hardiman, Maureen Carroll, Steve Roskams, John Oxley, Colleen Morgan, Mark G. Thomas, Ian Barnes, Christine McDonnell, Matthew J. Collins () and Daniel G. Bradley ()
Additional contact information
Rui Martiniano: Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin
Anwen Caffell: York Osteoarchaeology Ltd
Malin Holst: York Osteoarchaeology Ltd
Kurt Hunter-Mann: York Archaeological Trust for Excavation and Research Limited
Janet Montgomery: Dawson Building, Durham University
Gundula Müldner: University of Reading
Russell L. McLaughlin: Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin
Matthew D. Teasdale: Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin
Wouter van Rheenen: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht
Jan H. Veldink: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht
Leonard H. van den Berg: Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht
Orla Hardiman: Academic Unit of Neurology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin
Maureen Carroll: University of Sheffield Northgate House
Steve Roskams: BioArCh, Biology
John Oxley: City of York Council
Colleen Morgan: BioArCh, Biology
Mark G. Thomas: Evolution and Environment, University College London
Ian Barnes: Natural History Museum
Christine McDonnell: York Archaeological Trust for Excavation and Research Limited
Matthew J. Collins: BioArCh, Biology
Daniel G. Bradley: Smurfit Institute of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract The purported migrations that have formed the peoples of Britain have been the focus of generations of scholarly controversy. However, this has not benefited from direct analyses of ancient genomes. Here we report nine ancient genomes (∼1 ×) of individuals from northern Britain: seven from a Roman era York cemetery, bookended by earlier Iron-Age and later Anglo-Saxon burials. Six of the Roman genomes show affinity with modern British Celtic populations, particularly Welsh, but significantly diverge from populations from Yorkshire and other eastern English samples. They also show similarity with the earlier Iron-Age genome, suggesting population continuity, but differ from the later Anglo-Saxon genome. This pattern concords with profound impact of migrations in the Anglo-Saxon period. Strikingly, one Roman skeleton shows a clear signal of exogenous origin, with affinities pointing towards the Middle East, confirming the cosmopolitan character of the Empire, even at its northernmost fringes.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10326

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