A Kerfuffle About Diversity in the Roman Empire
How a children’s cartoon ignited a debate about skin color in Roman Britain, and what it has to do with genetics
Okay so, it all started with a children’s cartoon.
In December, the BBC released on YouTube an old animated video about life in Roman Britain, which featured a family with a dark-skinned father. This depiction recently caught the ire of an Infowars editor, who tweeted, “Thank God the BBC is portraying Roman Britain as ethnically diverse. I mean, who cares about historical accuracy, right?”
To which Mary Beard—best known as a classicist at Cambridge, and more recently known for —replied, “this is indeed pretty accurate, there's plenty of firm evidence for, and recently known for —replied:
