New Study Reveals That Most Ancient Europeans Had Dark Skin, Hair, and Eyes Until Just 3,000 Years Ago

Scientists believe that modern humans, Homo sapiens, originated from Africa. This means the majority of humans can trace their ancestry, and it will point towards Africa about 300,000 years ago. Now, a new study has been published that says ancient Europeans had dark skin, hair, and eyes until about 3,000 years ago. This is another evidence that heavily supports the leading theory of scientists on how humans evolved.

Ancient DNA Sheds Light on European Ancestry

Scientists have discovered that the Europeans who migrated to Europe about 3,000 years ago still have dark skin, hair, and eyes. This finding supports the theory that humans came from Africa, but challenges the belief that as soon as they migrated to Europe, their lighter skin developed, along with lighter hair and eyes, quickly or in just a few generations.

The First Europeans Had Dark Skin // Scientist & Genetics Proof It !! Anthropology / Archeology

The researchers who conducted the study analyzed 348 ancient individuals across 34 countries and obtained these results. Out of all the studied human remains, 63% had dark skin, 29% had intermediate skin tones, and only 8% had light skin.

The main inference we can make from this research, which was published in bioRxiv, is that the change from dark skin to light skin, along with other more evolutionary traits, was recent. The process was most likely gradual over hundreds of years and thousands of generations, influenced by a variety of factors like the weather, diet, and sunlight rather than an immediate adaptation for survival.

Read more: Live Science

Evolution of Skin Color in Europe

The study indicates that the gene associated with having lighter skin began to appear about 14,000 years ago, which is not too long ago compared to the full evolutionary history of the human race. Then, about 3,000 years ago, the gene was present in the majority of ancient humans in Europe.

This tells us that before this era, during the Copper and Iron Ages, most Europeans had darker or intermediate skin tones. Most likely does not still have lighter eyes and hair as well.

This gradual progression that was observed highlights just how complex the evolution of humans has been to arrive at the modern era. It also shows us that ancient Europeans were diverse, which was different than the recent times where it was predominantly light-skinned populations. Now again, due to immigration, this is currently being changed, and another surge of diverse population of human society is being formed.

Read more: All that’s Interesting

What This Means for Our Understanding of Race

Scientists Say That The Earliest Europeans Were Not Who We Think

Scientists tell us through this study that skin color is not set and may change over time for us humans, depending on where we live. It is a product of our evolutionary tendencies, and a testament that our population’s bodies are equipped to adapt to our environment and needs for survival.

These conclusions underscore that skin color is just one part of human diversity. It also serves as a reminder to us all, that we as a species have shared a long and complex history that is much more connected that we realize.

Author's Final Thoughts

This research has reshaped our understanding of European and human ancestry and the evolution of the traits we can observe in the modern era. May it remind us the rich and diverse history of various human population and that there are still a lot more to discover about who we are and how we came to be.

Read more: The Bug You Should Never Kill — And Why You’ll Be Glad It’s in Your Home

References & Further Reading

Wilde, S., et al. (2014). Direct evidence for positive selection of skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in Europeans during the last 5,000 y. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316513111

Mathieson, I., et al. (2015). Genome-wide patterns of selection in 230 ancient Eurasians. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature16152

Brace, S., et al. (2019). Ancient genomes indicate population replacement in Early Neolithic Britain. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0871-9

Olalde, I., et al. (2019). The genomic history of the Iberian Peninsula over the past 8000 years. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aav4040

Irving-Pease, E. K., et al. (2024). The selection landscape and genetic legacy of ancient Eurasians. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06705-1

Perretti, S., et al. (2025). Inference of human pigmentation from ancient DNA by genotype likelihoods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2502158122