Study Of 'Cheddar Man' Finds Early Britons Had Dark Skin
- 6 years ago
DNA analysis and facial reconstruction of a 10,000-year-old skeleton has revealed what early British men looked like.
DNA analysis and facial reconstruction of a 10,000-year-old skeleton has revealed what early British men looked like. Often referred to as "Cheddar Man," as the remains were found about 100 years ago in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, the individual had blue eyes, dark curly hair, and a "dark to black" skin tone. The skeleton is said to be the oldest nearly-complete one found in Britain.
The study involved extracting samples from it and sequencing the genome. Information gathered from that part of the effort was passed along to model-making experts. The endeavor involved researchers from institutions including the Natural History Museum and University College London.
"Cheddar Man's genetic profile places him with several other Mesolithic-era Europeans from Spain, Hungary and Luxembourg whose DNA has already been analysed," Mark Thomas, one of the team's members noted. "These 'Western Hunter-Gatherer's' migrated into Europe at the end of the last ice age and the group included Cheddar Man's ancestors."
It's estimated that about 10% of Britain's indigenous ancestry is linked to that group.
DNA analysis and facial reconstruction of a 10,000-year-old skeleton has revealed what early British men looked like. Often referred to as "Cheddar Man," as the remains were found about 100 years ago in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, the individual had blue eyes, dark curly hair, and a "dark to black" skin tone. The skeleton is said to be the oldest nearly-complete one found in Britain.
The study involved extracting samples from it and sequencing the genome. Information gathered from that part of the effort was passed along to model-making experts. The endeavor involved researchers from institutions including the Natural History Museum and University College London.
"Cheddar Man's genetic profile places him with several other Mesolithic-era Europeans from Spain, Hungary and Luxembourg whose DNA has already been analysed," Mark Thomas, one of the team's members noted. "These 'Western Hunter-Gatherer's' migrated into Europe at the end of the last ice age and the group included Cheddar Man's ancestors."
It's estimated that about 10% of Britain's indigenous ancestry is linked to that group.