New genetic evidence suggests the ancient Britons—builders of Stonehenge—likely had dark skin.
A new study by researchers at the University of Ferrara (Italy) found that most Europeans living 5,000 years ago likely had dark skin.
Earlier work had suggested that early Britons, such as the “Cheddar Man,” who lived 10,000 years ago, had dark skin and blue eyes. Over time, lighter skin tones became more common.
Now, the study’s authors say that shift happened several centuries later than scientists previously thought.
What Did the Scientists Discover?
The team analyzed data from 348 genomes of people who lived in Europe between 45,000 and 1,700 years ago. They found that the vast majority (92 percent) of people who lived during the late Paleolithic era, 35,000 to 13,000 years ago, had dark skin, while 8 percent had skin of intermediate tones. The researchers suggest that no one had pale skin during that time.
This pattern remained the norm for thousands of years. DNA from Iron Age Britons, who lived 3,000 to 1,700 years ago, indicated that 55 percent had dark skin, while 27 percent had skin of intermediate tones. Only 18 percent had pale skin, The Independent reported.
The researchers say there are about 26 genes associated with melanin production, which helps determine skin pigmentation; two pigments—eumelanin and pheomelanin—play a major role in skin, hair, and eye color.
Because skin and hair do not preserve in fossils, experts used DNA from human remains and compared it with data from modern Europeans to predict ancient people’s skin, hair, and eye colors.
Scientists believe the ancestors of modern humans migrated from Africa to Europe and Asia around 60,000 to 70,000 years ago. As people moved to regions with lower ultraviolet radiation, lighter pigmentation became more common.
Lighter skin allows the body to absorb more ultraviolet radiation, which helps produce vitamin D, a nutrient essential for bone and muscle health.
In contrast, darker skin contains more brown and black pigments, which provide better protection against ultraviolet radiation.
For decades, scientists assumed people quickly acquired lighter skin tones after leaving Africa. However, the authors of the new study argue that this process occurred much more slowly, and that the Britons who built Stonehenge likely had tan complexions.
Evolutionary biologist Silvia Girotto, the study’s lead author, said, “It would be reasonable to assume that the first settlers, who came from a warmer climate and engaged in hunting and gathering, predominantly had dark pigmentation. But what we least expected was the prolonged persistence of these phenotypes.”
The situation changed over time, but very slowly. Only during the Iron Age did the number of people with light skin equal the number with dark skin. The study’s authors write that for most of prehistory, the majority of Europeans had dark skin.
