Following the discovery of 80 skeletons unearthed in what is thought could represent a gladiator’s cemetery, genetic comparisons were made between seven of these specimens and an Iron Age woman who was native to Britain. Although this latest study found that most of the bodies were of men who were local, one was slightly different. This individual had a genetic makeup that revealed he actually grew up in the Middle East, in the region of modern-day Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. Not only that, but the researchers then traced the descendants of these men, and found that they most closely matched those living in modern-day Wales.
The site of the graveyard was originally on the edge of the Roman city. It was first discovered over a decade ago, and has divided expert opinion as to exactly who the buried people were. All of the bodies are men under the age of 45, and above average height for the period. Many showed signs of trauma that had healed, and a number had their lives ended with their head being removed.
The new study, published in Nature Communications, also used isotopic analysis to help figure out not only where the men were from, but also what their childhoods were like. By looking at specific isotopes (variants of elements) found in traces of food wedged in the skeletons’ teeth, and seeing how they changed over time, the researchers were able to deduce that during their childhoods, many of the men had had experienced hard times and periods of low nutritional intake. This, they say, backs up the idea that they were local men, growing up during harsh periods in Iron Age Britain.
source: greenarea, IFL
