The project 'From the Caucasus to Cambridgeshire: Retracing the story of Offord Cluny’s ‘Sarmatian’ burial' has just been nominated for 'Current Archaeology' Research Project of the Year 2025.
Durham University Archaeology's Professor Janet Montgomery and Dr Joanna Moore worked alongside MOLA Headland Infrastructure and the Francis Crick Institute on this project, combining ancient DNA (aDNA) and stable isotope analysis. This research into a strikingly isolated Roman period burial at Offord Cluny, Cambridgeshire, revealed the first physical evidence of a Sarmatian individual in Britain. Together, the aDNA and isotopic analyses showed the individual was a first generation immigrant of Sarmatian ancestry, and had travelled thousands of miles west from central Europe before reaching Britain.
Following the Sarmatians' defeat by Marcus Aurelius in 175 CE, 5,500 Sarmatian soldiers were sent to Britain but little is known about where they went or how they impacted local communities. While we cannot be certain that the Offord Cluny individual came to Britain due to this deployment, this project provides valuable insights into long-distance migration in the context of the Roman Empire.
Voting for Research Project of the Year 2025 is open to all, via the Current Archaeology Awards page.
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