New Research Reveals: Ancient Europeans Had Dark Skin, Eyes, and Hair Until 3,000 Years Ago

New findings reveal that most prehistoric Europeans retained dark skin, hair, and eye pigmentation throughout the Iron Age, which concluded roughly 3,000 years ago.

Researchers discovered that the genetic markers for lighter skin, hair, and eye colors appeared amongst early Europeans approximately 14,000 years ago, towards the end of the Paleolithic era—commonly referred to as the "Old Stone Age." However, according to the study’s lead author, these traits were not consistent until much more recent times. Silvia Ghirotto a geneticist affiliated with the University of Ferrara in Italy.

Paleer skin might have provided an evolutionary benefit for Europeans as it allowed individuals to produce more vitamin D. vitamin D — essential for strong bones, teeth, and muscles — due to the reduced intensity of sunlight in Europe. However, having lighter iris colors such as blue or green doesn’t appear to have made a difference. major evolutionary advantages And thus, its appearance might have been influenced by randomness or sexual selection, as Ghirotto explained via email to Live Science.

Ghirotto and her team examined 348 ancient DNA samples from archaeological locations across 34 nations in Western Europe and Asia, as detailed in research released on February 12th. preprint server bioRxiv , which has not undergone peer review.

The earliest one, dating back 45,000 years, came from the Ust'-Ishim individual identified in 2008 in the Irtysh River area of western Siberia; additionally, another well-preserved DNA specimen was obtained from a approximately 9,000-year-old source. SF12 individual from Sweden.

However, numerous older specimens were significantly deteriorated; thus, the scientists used "probabilistic phenotype inference" to estimate the pigment characteristics of these individuals. HIrisPlex-S system , capable of forecasting eye, hair, and skin color even with an incomplete DNA sample.

Related: A new CRISPR study has uncovered nearly 170 genes that influence hair, skin, and eye coloring.

Out of Africa

Palaeoanthropologists think the first Homo sapiens permanently reached Europe between Between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago , indicating they were not too distant from their contemporary African forebears. Consequently, early Europeans originally possessed genetics For individuals with dark skin, hair, and eyes, which depend on numerous interrelated genes, according to Ghirotto.

Despite the emergence of lighter traits in Europe around 14,000 years ago, these characteristics only appeared inconsistently among individuals until roughly 3,000 years ago, at which point they became common, as per her statement.

According to Ghirotto, the latest research indicates that individuals with dark skin were common across various regions of Europe throughout much of the Copper Age—defined as the Chalcolithic period, beginning roughly 5,000 years ago—and persisted at significant frequencies in certain areas well into more recent times.

Emerging traits

The study revealed that light-colored eyes first appeared among individuals in Northern and Western Europe roughly between 14,000 and 4,000 years ago; however, dark hair and dark skin remained predominant during this period. It should be noted though that there are exceptions to this timeline. For instance, a genetic examination conducted in 2024 indicated that a 1-year-old male from Europe dating back around 17,000 years possessed deep complexion, jet-black hair with striking blue eyes .)

According to Ghirotto, the genetic foundation for fairer skin appeared around the same period as paler eye colors in Sweden, though it stayed fairly uncommon initially.

The study also noted a significant increase in the occurrence of lighter eye colors during this period, indicating that blue or green eyes might have been more common then compared to before or after this timeframe.

Carles Lalueza Fox , a paleogeneticist at Barcelona's Institute of Evolutionary Biology, specializes in early European pigmentation However, they were not part of the most recent research.

He informed Live Science via email that it came as a surprise to discover some Europeans carried genes associated with dark skin pigmentation all the way until the Iron Age—a period considered quite recent from a genetics perspective.

Although the latest study maps the development of characteristics such as fairer skin, hair, and eye color, the factors behind why these features might have evolved remain unclear. evolutionary The advantages are still not fully comprehended, he mentioned.