Scientists said on Friday that a woman buried in the British city of York 16 centuries ago with signs of great wealth in her tomb was of African descent.

The Guardian reported that a research team examined skeletons excavated in 1901, using modern techniques. At least one-fifth of the bodies appeared to be immigrants or the descendants of immigrants who had come to York from far-flung parts of the Roman Empire, researchers said in an article published in Antiquity magazine.

Hella Eckhardt, an archaeologist from Reading University, said," We're looking at a population mix which is much closer to contemporary Britain than previous historians had suspected. In the case of York, the Roman population may have had more diverse origins than the city has now."

York was one of the most important cities in Roman Britain and became the capital of Britannia Inferior under the Emperor Severus.

The woman was given the nickname of "ivory bangle" lady as jewelry made from elephant ivory found in her sarcophagus.

She grew up in a warmer region as analysis of her bone suggested. Also her skull shape showed ancestors from sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere. (With Input From Agencies)