North Africans at Hadrians Wall

[caldrail]

I promised I'd find this reference, so here it is....

 

Are Border Folk Descended From Africans?

News - Daily telegraph - Friday June 11th

Roman unit posted on Hadrians Wall probably came from Morocco, reports David Derbyshire

 

Families who have lived in the English-Scottish Borders for generations could be descended from African soldiers who patrolled Hadrians Wall nearly 2000 years ago.

 

Archaeologists say there is compelling evidence that a 500-strong unit of Moors manned a fort near Carlisle in the 3rd century AD.

 

Richard Benjamin, an archaeologist at Liverpool niversity who has studied the history of black Britons believes many would have settled and raised families.

 

"When you talk about Romans in britain, most people think about blue eyes and pale complexions," he said, "But the reality was very different."

 

Writing in the journal British Archaeology, Mr Benjamin describes a fourth century inscription discovered in Beaumont, two miles from the remains of the Aballava fort at Burgh by Sands. The inscription refers to the "numerus of Aurelian Moors" - a unit of north africans, probably named after the Emperor Aurelius.

 

The unit is also mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum, a roman list of officials and dignitaries. It describes the prefect of the "numeri Maurorum Aurelianorum Aballava".

 

The unit was probably mustered in the Roman province of Mauretania, in modern day Morocco, by the Emperor Septimus Severus and arrived in Britain in the 2nd or 3rd century AD. Aballava lay at the western end of Hadrians Wall in Cumbria. Mr Benjamin suspects that the unit would have blooded in battles in Germany and the Danube where the inscriptions refer to a unit of moors.

 

Their number is unknown, but the fort could have held up to 500 men. "There was freedom of movement for civilians and those in administration of the armed forces. Discharge certificates indicate that the veteran soldiers settled in Britain," he said. "Soldiers would have had plenty of money to spend in native settlements on the outskirts of the forts. They would have sought entertainment in brothels. Many would probably have wanted more permanent relationships". Mr Benjamin is calling for a major study of black roman britons. He believes that DNA tests of locals could reveal genetic links with modern day north africans, while skeletons of Romans found in the area might contain tell-tale clues to their childhood origins.

 

Buildings in the village may have been built from recycled Roman materials. Some might have been of African origin, he said.

 

The unit is likely to have been composed of berbers from north africa, but may also have been darker-skinned soldiers from Nubia.

 

In 1989, archaeoligists discovered a 1900 year old wooden sculpture of a black african head in London carved in the first century.

 

Contemporary records also point to Africans living in Britain during the the Roman Occupation. The Emperor Septimus Severus is reported to have been approached by a black african soldier while he crossed Hadrians Wall on his return from a battle in Scotland.

 

In South Shields, a Roman tombstone refers to a 20-year old "moor by race, the freed slave of Numerians".

[The Augusta]

Ah - this would account for the prevalence of dark-haired, dark-eyed, olive-complexioned and sallow-skinned Scots today then!

 

On a serious note, however, I suppose there could have been some settlers from North Africa. Let's face it, with the growth of the empire there would have been such a mix of ethnicities. And after 2000 years of breeding with the locals I suppose some original traits may have disappeared.

[DecimusCaesar]

It's not hard to believe when you consider that there were men from (modern) Spain, France, Hungary, Germany, Belgium and many other places stationed at the wall from time to time.

[docoflove1974]

The unit is likely to have been composed of berbers from north africa, but may also have been darker-skinned soldiers from Nubia.

 

This is the phrase that's troublesome for me. I was under the impression that the Moors were mostly North African (and to a lesser extent Arabian) in make-up until the later days of the Iberian occupation (memory is coming up with post-1100s, but I can look this up next week, once I get my books back). Is this not necessarily the case?

 

I also agree with Augusta...the mix of the empire in all areas--not just in the outposts--was pretty mixed, thanks to the nature of the army. With army brings other people...so who knows.

Edited April 9, 2007 by docoflove1974

[Augustus Caesar]

Whilst the information given above is excellent and informative I can offer a little more here.

 

This text is taken from the ipso facto book on Hadrian's Wall and is extremely highly regarded as the best source of information as regards this subject, Hadrian's Wall by Dr David Breeze and Brian Dobson, revised edition.

 

Units at Burgh-By-Sands...

 

Under Hadrian: cohors quingenaria equitata/milliaria perditata [?]

Under Marcus Aurelius: no evidence

Third Century: cohors I Nervana Germanorum milliaria equitata [?], numerus Maurorum Aurelianorum (253-8)*, cuneus Frisionum Aballavensium (241)[?]

Notitia: numerus Maurorum Aurelianorum*

 

*The numerus was under the charge of a tribune of a cohort in 253-8 and cohors I Nervana would fit best at this time. Although the references co the cuneus come from Papcastle (RIB 882-3) the inscriptions seem to refer to a transfer of someone to the unit called cuneus Frisionum Aballavensium (the cavalry unit of Frisiones of Burgh) from an unnamed unit, presumably from the one in garrison at Papcastle to the unit at Burgh. It seems difficult and unnecessary to assume that the cuneus had been moved to Papcastle, and it is a well-attested Roman practice to set up inscriptions recording promotion on transfer at the post one is leaving. A cohors milliaria peditata is unlikely under Hadrian, as there are only two attested in the province, and there was presumably at the time one at Housesteads and one at Birdoswald.

 

Whilst there are possible descendants among us here upon the Wall these are likely to be few and far between. When the Roman Army was pulled out of Britain it was assumed at one time that the Wall and its surrounds were deserted. Evidence dictates otherwise. Some folk actually stayed and eeked out a living but most left. The few farms that would have been left may have certainly contained these North Africans but they would also have more likely contained locals and other civilians from abroad. Law would have broken down to a large extent and many folk would have felt safer in the larger towns and cities where a certain degree of law may have been maintained. The Scots entered the north of England several times over the years after the Romans left and many would have been chased off or killed. In the medieval period also this area was unstable. So throughout the 1,200 years or so, up to the 1700's, after Rome took away its legions there have been many changes here. It would, to me, seem like finding a needle in a haystack if research was undertaken to seek this kind of descendancy.

 

South Shields, Arbeia, is also known as the 'place of the Arabs'. The naming is as thus.... The name of the fort is unusual. Arbeia as a name is mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum and is almost certainly tied to South Shields. The post-Roman name for the site is Caer Urfa and is regarded to be a corruption of the name Arbeia. The actual word Arbeia is probably a Latin version of an Aramaic word. The Aramaic language itself is from the modern day area of Iraq, where the Tigris Bargemen were recruited, and means

[Virgil61]

I promised I'd find this reference, so here it is....

Are Border Folk Descended From Africans?

News - Daily telegraph - Friday June 11th

Roman unit posted on Hadrians Wall probably came from Morocco, reports David Derbyshire

 

Outstanding find, thanks for sharing.

[caldrail]

Thanks also to Augustus Caesar for that erudite reply