The surprising truth about ancient european skin tones

Dark skin was predominant in the European population until about 3,000 years ago: this is what emerged from the analysis of the DNA of 348 ancient individuals who lived in different areas of Eurasia

A recent research conducted by the University of Ferrara has thrown new light on the evolutionary history of skin pigmentation in Europe. Studying the DNA of 348 ancient people from various regions of Eurasia, scientists identified that dark skin had been common in the population of Europe until the Iron Age, that is about 3,000 years ago.

These findings, published in a preprint, give a far cry from the traditional portrait of the physical looks of early Europeans. DNA analysis allowed scientists to piece together the history of skin pigmentation diversity in the past 45,000 years.

Dark skin was common on much of the continent in Neolithic times, with traces of lighter skin present almost solely in the north. It was not until the Bronze Age, around 4,000 years ago, that there was a significant rise in the number of individuals with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, particularly in areas corresponding to today’s England, Hungary, Estonia, and the Czech Republic. Pigmentation of the skin during the Iron Age was very different, though, with a mixture of dark, intermediate, and light skin color in much of Europe and Western Asia.

The development of dark skin

Development of dark skin in early modern humans is well documented. Homo sapiens developed in Africa approximately 200,000 years ago, and dark pigmentation provided an adaptive benefit where sunlight exposure was high.

As human populations migrated to the north and into Eurasia, where sunlight was less pronounced, lighter skin over time facilitated the body’s ability to absorb ultraviolet radiation vital to vitamin D production.

But this transformation did not occur overnight. Some populations had darker skin for much longer periods, most likely because they consumed a diet rich in fish and other vitamin D-rich foods, which compensated for limited sun exposure.

A very telling example is the Cheddar Man, who lived some 10,000 years ago in England: his genetic code revealed mixed dark color and blue eyes. Apparently, the physical appearance of ancient European populations was much more diverse than it had been previously envisioned.

Source: bioRxiv