A woman who lived in Britain in the 2nd and 3rd century AD and was commemorated as the first African-Briton seven years ago is actually from Cyprus.
According to the British masthead, The Telegraph, earlier this week the parish council of the East Sussex village voted to remove a plaque created by the BBC honouring the woman as “the first black Briton”.
“The Beachy Head Woman” as she is known as, was originally thought to be black of African origin but DNA analysis of her 1,800-year-old remains by the Francis Crick Institute in London trace her origins to “southern Europe – most likely Cyprus.”
The Beachy Head Lady was exhibited to the public for the first time at the Eastbourne Redoubt. In 2021, the remains were moved to the newly refurbished
“Beachy Head Story” visitor centre, closer to where they were found.
The BBC came under fire for a documentary on the woman, one that gave her the title of the earliest ‘black Briton’ and the plaque.
Titled Black and British: A Forgotten History, it made the claims of the woman’s origins and told the story of the “enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa.”
The original theory that she came from Africa, by Professor David Olusoga was backed by archaeologist Jo Seaman who said the age of her remains and her African origins likely meant she was the “earliest black Briton.”
Seaman updated an article of his in 2022 to include a note that “DNA analysis has since concluded that although she grew up in Eastbourne, the place of her ancestry is in southern Europe – most likely Cyprus.”
Of course, there were constant trade and other relations with ancient Cyprus and the African continent, so while the woman may be from Cyprus she my have been both African and Cypriot.
