A further 13 of those studied had isotopic profiles consistent with having grown up in or near Colchester itself. Five others appeared to have spent their childhoods in areas characterised by older geological formations, potentially Wales, Scotland or the southwest of England, while one individual may have been raised in northern Britain or France.
Even before the Roman conquest, Colchester held considerable importance as a settlement. It subsequently became both the provincial capital and a significant military hub.
Two military tombstones surviving from the town honour soldiers from far-flung corners of the empire: a centurion from Italy and a cavalry auxiliary from modern-day Turkey.
“For me, this is a real game-changer piece of science,” Mr Davis said. “In a sense, we had been missing the first two centuries of the people of Roman Britain.”
