A new interdisciplinary study has shed light on the African origins of people who were rescued from illegal slave ships and taken to the island of St Helena during the 19th century.
Researchers examined chemical signatures to reconstruct the likely childhood origins of 152 Africans who were brought to St Helena after being rescued from slave ships. The research was published in Science.
St Helena played an important role in the British campaign against the transatlantic slave trade. Between 1840 and 1863, nearly 27,000 Africans rescued from illegal slave ships were landed on the island, although many died shortly after their arrival.
The new research contributes to efforts to recover individual and community histories that were disrupted by the transatlantic slave trade. It also demonstrates how modern scientific techniques can complement historical and archaeological records.
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