Roman-era ‘Beachy Head Woman’ originated from southern UK

The identity of a Roman-era individual found in southern England has finally been resolved after scientists at the Natural History Museum were able to sequence high quality DNA from her skeletal remains.

The nationwide team, led by Dr William Marsh and Dr Selina Brace at the Natural History Museum and Andy Walton of University College London, re-examined the ‘Beachy Head Woman’ with the latest technologies and today announced that the ~2,000-year-old individual descended from the local British population of Roman-era southern England. The findings are published in the Journal of Archaeological Science. 

Dr William Marsh, who performed the DNA analysis, said: “By using state-of-the-art DNA techniques we were able to resolve the origins of this individual. We show she carries genetic ancestry that is most similar to other individuals from the local population of Roman-era Britain.”

Little has been certain about this individual, until now. Radiocarbon dating showed she died between 129 and 311 AD, corresponding to the Roman-occupation of Britain. Analysis of her skeletal remains suggest that she was around 18-25 years old when she died and that she stood at just over 1.5 metres tall. A healed wound on her leg suggests a serious but non-fatal injury at some point in her life. Dietary analysis looking at the carbon and nitrogen values in her bones also revealed that her diet likely included a lot of seafood.

Once theorised to have origins in sub-Saharan Africa or possibly the Mediterranean, the first comprehensive scientific study to be carried out on the Beachy Head Woman has revealed that her origins were in fact much closer to home.

Professor Hella Eckardt, who co-authored the study from the University of Reading, said: "We know from inscriptions that people travelled to Britain from across the Roman Empire, which is why it's so important to consider migration and diversity when studying this period. Constant improvements in archaeological science allow us to learn more from skeletal remains. These latest DNA analyses provide the clearest picture yet of the Beachy Head Woman's ancestry."

Tracing the origins of Beachy Head Woman

The Roman-era individual was brought to light in 2012 when her remains were uncovered in the collections of Eastbourne Town Hall. Details on the box suggested that the skeleton had been found at the nearby headland, Beachy Head, in the 1950s but no details of an excavation were ever recovered.

The Beachy Head Woman’s story became more intriguing when initial morphometric analysis suggested she originated from sub-Saharan Africa; this result informed the Eastbourne Museum display and captured media attention. Then in 2017, unpublished DNA work suggested she was more likely to have come from the Mediterranean rather than Africa, possibly Cyprus. However, this finding was based upon limited DNA data, insufficient for robust conclusions, leaving many questions about the Beachy Head Woman unanswered.

Merit researcher at the Museum and senior author on the paper, Dr Selina Brace, said: “Our scientific knowledge and understanding is constantly evolving, and as scientists, it’s our job to keep pushing for answers. Thanks to the advancement of technology that has occurred in the past decade since Beachy Head Woman first came to light, we are excited to report this new comprehensive data and share more about this individual and the history of her life.”

The paper ‘Beachy Head Woman: clarifying her origins using a multiproxy anthropological and biomolecular approach’ is published today in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Walton, A., Marsh, W., Strang, A., Seaman, J., Van Doorn, K., Eckardt, H., Wilkinson, C., Barnes, I., & Brace, S. (2025). Beachy Head Woman: Clarifying her origins using a multiproxy anthropological and biomolecular approach. Journal of Archaeological Science, 106445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106445