June 17, 2004
Borders folk may be descended from Africans
Families who have lived in the English-Scottish Borders for generations could be descended from African soldiers who patrolled Hadrian's Wall nearly 2,000 years ago.
Archaeologists say there is compelling evidence that a 500-strong unit of Moors manned a fort near Carlisle in the third century AD.
Richard Benjamin, an archaeologist at Liverpool University who has studied the history of black Britons, believes many would have settled and raised families.
Posted by Dienekes at June 17, 2004 04:02 PM | PermaLinkA nice place to get to get rickets growing up especially if your daddy was dark skinned.
Posted by: Stephenf at June 17, 2004 05:38 PMThe skinny on RICHARD PAUL BENJAMIN.
Interests:
- Afrocentric theory and education in the United States.
- The history and culture of Guyana, South America.
- Africans in Roman Britain.
"In the United Kingdom, as in most countries, the archaeological heritage is valued as one of the key means by which the national population and local communities can gain a sense of their own identity."
"My enthusiasm for this research stems from my own experience, growing up as a Black school child in the UK. Throughout both primary and secondary school (ages 5 - 18), I remained unaware of the significance of Africa, not just to Black history but to world history. It is only as an adult that I have become aware of an archaeology of Africa. I believe that it is the educational omission of African archaeology that makes archaeology a non-valued resource among contemporary Black communities in the UK. Where efforts have been made to address this omission, such as with the slavery gallery at the National Maritime Museum in Liverpool, the sense of past generated is largely negative. Black groups and individuals may be looking for a sense of past and their background but they can not receive this knowledge through academic channels.
"In the UK my research involves quantifying the scale of Black involvement in archaeology and heritage presentation, and examining how Black individuals throughout the past are missed out of academic studies and heritage presentations. To date, this research has not been undertaken in any way in the UK. I also wish to go on from here, and identify areas where archaeology might contribute to the active presentation of a Black identity."
Links on his page:
- The Archaeology of Black Britain
- Molefi Kete Asante Homepage
- Afro-Centricity Site
Posted by: Rhys at June 18, 2004 06:44 AM