So Much For Diversity (300 – 1000 AD)
A recent study on genetics in England has revealed that ancient Britons were far more genetically diverse than those living in the country today! By studying the DNA from skeletal remains dating between 300 and 1000 AD, and comparing it to that of modern-day Brits, scientists have come to the conclusion that several deadly plagues in ancient times may have been responsible for the decline of the populace’s diversity.
Although modern England is considered to be a cultural melting pot, the 48 skeletons appeared to have even more diversity than those living in today’s continental Europe and the Middle East. However, it was after the Viking era that two severe outbreaks of bubonic plague swept across England and many parts of Europe.
The Black Death arrived and lasted from 1347 to 1351 AD, while the second outbreak that was known as the Great Plague lasted only two years, 1665-1666 AD. During the Black Death, as much as 50% of the European population is estimated to have died, with at least 1/5th of London’s population disappearing in the short span of the Great Plague.
Notably, the plagues did not affect people randomly – some people were simply resistant to the disease, while other entire villages of related families were wiped out, sometimes causing an entire genetic lineage to disappear at once. As a result, if there were many smaller populations with each type of DNA, and many died out because of these plagues, a significant number of DNA types could have easily disappeared.
Since that time hundreds of years ago, it seems that the British population has not been able to once again reach that same level of diversity. Although some scientists remain skeptical of this explanation, the results of the DNA study are undisputable – at the very least, something caused the British population’s DNA types to be significantly reduced. It certainly appears as though the ancient Britons were more tolerant of ethnic diversity than anyone had previously thought!
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Tomorrow: A brief history of zip…zero…nadda!
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