Facial Reconstruction of Ivory Bangle Lady
Many notable figures hail from Yorkshire, we have the explorer James Cook, the abolitionist William Wilberforce and even the aviator Amy Johnson. However, the most striking figure in the history of Yorkshire would be the Ivory Bangle Lady. She is believed to be an upper-class African woman from Roman York. This paints York in the Roman Empire, as a multiracial city as opposed to the homogenous representation we are used to.
Her skeleton was found in 1901 near Sycamore Terrace in York, which is now an ordinary residential area. Archaeologists have dated her remains to around 350AD. Despite originating from North Africa studies suggest that she was raised in Britain (or Europe) rather than in Africa. The archaeologists from the University of Reading analysed the chemical signature from her consumption of food and drink which reinforced the idea that she was of higher status. There is no specific recording for her cause of death but her stone coffin unveiled more secrets of her life. Her grave was occupied with various items that were symbolic of her status such as jet and elephant ivory bracelets, earrings, pendants, beads, a blue glass jug and a glass mirror. Her skeleton and grave items are displayed in Roman York: Meet the People of the Empire.
York may seem like an unlikely place for a Roman African to end up but historically it’s known for inscriptions and written sources that mention Africa. There are many other excavations at York that were conducted in the 1950s which exhumed many human skeletons. From these findings, there was a significant percentage of those remains which belonged to Africans from the third century. Researchers believe that they existed in society as slaves, soldiers and ordinary citizens.
A fortunate way of understanding the background of the Ivory Bangle Lady is by assessing the items she was buried with, which are said to be indicative of her high status in society. Roman funerary practices often involved the dead being treated with respect and prepping them for the afterlife. The existence of Burial Clubs emphasised the culture of the empire which highly revered the dead, membership was dependent on economic status. Therefore, slaves and the lower class were often discarded in pits like criminals unable to afford a more dignified burial or even grave goods.
Glass Beads found in her grave
The possession of glass beads in the Ivory Bangle Lady’s grave is not a rare discovery as beads were often used for medicinal purposes and buried with the dead as they believed they would be needed in the afterlife. Particularly, glass beads were a product of first-century Romans, who capitalised on the craft of glassmaking from Ancient Egypt. It soon became a poignant item of trade in the empire reaching the furthest places such as China, Central Africa and Scandinavia. The production of Roman glassmaking was believed to be a flourishing venture, until the collapse of the Empire in the fifth century. Therefore, to have these beads in her grave would reinforce her status in society as an active consumer in Roman culture and economy.
Glass Blue Jug
Another item found with her skeleton was a blue glass jug, as mentioned above glass making was in rapid production. The significance of the blue ‘aqua’ colouring of the jug is believed to be due to the technical change in its production known as ‘glass blowing’ during the first century. This technique would have been quicker and more efficient allowing wider access to this item than before. The jug found in her grave was transparent rather than the cobalt blue that these glass products originally were. According to Pliny’s Natural History, which was published in 77AD, he stated that ‘highly valued glass is colourless and transparent’ which he believed was supposed to resemble crystals. Her transparent jug indicates the costliness of the item, that was deemed worthy for the afterlife.
Glass Mirror found in the grave
Amongst her grave goods were also earrings, pendants, glass mirror and cosmetics, highlighting the upkeep of her appearance to be prominent in the afterlife. Oftentimes earrings with precious stones would be worn by rich Romans to show their wealth. To wear make-up was to indicate the wealth of a woman, considering beauty played a huge role in the marriage market. However, Roman Christians were less likely to indulge in cosmetics in order to honour God.
Bone inscribed 'Hail, sister may you live in God' in Latin
Certain items explored above illustrate the pagan belief system within Roman society especially concerning the afterlife. Eminently, the founding of the piece of bone with the inscription of: “Hail, sister may you live in God” denotes her Christian background. By the third century, the Carthaginian theologian Tertullian had mentioned the spread of Christianity amongst many countries including Britain in, Adversus Judaeos. With the end of widespread persecution and a growing tolerance of Christianity during the rule of Emperor Constantine in the fourth century. The religion became more widely visible in Britain, despite remaining a minority faith with the dominant pagan beliefs in society. This item highlights that the Ivory Bangle Lady must have been a member of the Christian community in order to have been buried with this item. Despite the general pagan ideas of the afterlife attached to the grave goods and the Roman Christian perception of cosmetics conflicting with the abundance of these in her grave. Here we can have a deeper understanding of her existence in society ranging from her status to beliefs.
It is interesting to see how we can uncover the life of a Roman citizen being from a minority background and balancing minority beliefs even in death. It leaves us curious about how her life was defined by her background, ranking and beliefs and how she lived despite the cultural norms of her time.
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