From the arrival of the earliest modern humans over 40,000 years ago to the population of the present day, the history of the people of Britain is one of movement, migration and settlement. 'Settlers' at the Oxford Museum of Natural History charts the cultural and genetic impact of major movements of people in Britain – a rich and exciting history of perpetual arrival and departure.
Opening with a showcase of remains from the oldest known ceremonial burial in Western Europe, the 33,000-year-old ‘Red Lady’ of Paviland (actually a man), 'Settlers' charts the waves of migration that have shaped Britain since the islands became continuously inhabited at the end of the last Ice Age, around 12,000 years ago.
Settlers is the fifth exhibition in the Museum's Contemporary Science & Society series, and is based around the People of the British Isles research project which was led by the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (part of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine). It also draws on research from other departments of the University including Geography and Archaeology.
Accompanying the exhibition is specially commissioned artwork from contemporary visual artist Ian Kirkpatrick, and an extensive of programme of events. The exhibition will run until Sunday 16 September 2018.
Image courtesy of Claire Williams