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Fortea Morgana :) PeteByrdie certificated Princess
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From The Conversation, good summary and thoughtful analysis, of the latest developments in bioarchaeology from Rebecca Redfern (Museum of London/Durham University): The Roman Dead.
Further to this discussion is another The Conversation piece, this time by John-Mark Philo (UEA and Leverhulme): Mary Beard is right, Roman Britain was multi-ethnic – so why does this upset people so much?
Understanding all this is crucial in understanding the paradigm within which our lovely forteana happen. Look at cultural differences in the portrayal of dragons for a simple example. Culture and its expectations are the sea from which our rains of fish come
Our knowledge about the people who lived in Roman Britain has undergone a sea change over the past decade. New research has rubbished our perception of it as a region inhabited solely by white Europeans. Roman Britain was actually a highly multicultural society which included newcomers and locals with black African ancestry and dual heritage, as well as people from the Middle East.
For the most part, these findings have been welcomed by public, and incorporated by museums into displays and educational content. But, post-Brexit referendum and in an atmosphere of growing nationalism, they have also been rejected and ridiculed.
Further to this discussion is another The Conversation piece, this time by John-Mark Philo (UEA and Leverhulme): Mary Beard is right, Roman Britain was multi-ethnic – so why does this upset people so much?
The really interesting question here is not whether the Roman empire was ethnically diverse (it was) or even whether there were African people in the British Isles (we think there probably were) – but why it is now so important for some to establish beyond question that there was a time when Britain’s population was white and nothing else. What exactly is at stake in promoting this view of Britain’s past?
Understanding all this is crucial in understanding the paradigm within which our lovely forteana happen. Look at cultural differences in the portrayal of dragons for a simple example. Culture and its expectations are the sea from which our rains of fish come