First Britons were black

According to an ancestral DNA test dh and I had done years ago (Oxford Ancestors) I share a direct maternal ancestor with Cheddar Gorge Man - along with about 11% of native Europeans.
I believe it’s now known that he had blue eyes.
Dh’s maternal ancestor isn’t nearly so ‘select’ ? - he shares his with 25% or so.

I'm sure everyone knows that we are all descended from the people that originally walked out of Africa.

The point about Cheddar Man is that he had always been depicted as fair skinned because that's how everyone thought when they imagined a northern European. But recent advances in DNA analysis suggest that 10,000 years ago people who lived in what is now England were people of colour (to use a modern phrase). And their descendants are still here. So Jean and her bizarre ideas about Englishness haven't got a leg to stand on.

I thought it common knowledge that we ALL evolved from the African rift valley?
Ditto with Cheddar man.
Race or the colour of ones skin only matters now.
To the Roman's the important thing was adhering to their Gods and their way of life. Look at the different nationalities and skin colours that rose to the top.
Protestant and Catholics were torturing and killing each other.
Hutus and tutsi tribes were fighting until it resulted in a near genocide.

I think people will always look for reasons to fight each other.

If GN is anything to go by, I dont hold out much hope for any of us.

One of my favourite topics - fascinating!
Moggie57 I don't feel it's divisive at all but black, white, etc, etc, we're all unique.
Growstuff thanks for book tip. Hoping I haven't read that one ?

why all this black and white . we are ONE RACE the human race ..?

Despite their dark skin, I believe Cheddar man had blue eyes,

Anyway, as the current dominant human species, homo sapiens, evolved in Africa and everyone in the world is descended from that Homo Sapiens genetic group and every group from Chinese, to Indians, Australian indigenous people have evolved from the same group. It is not really surprising that some of the earliest homo sapiens in this country were dark skinned.

GagaJo

annodomini

There is evidence that some of us have Neanderthal genes. I wonder what Jean would say about that!

I'm sure I have taught a few of those!

And they were not as dumb as they are portrayed to be in films etc! They probably had more language than just grunts.

Anyway, the grunting stage is part of our evolution from child to adult, isn't it? The teenage stage, Grunting Kevin

Thanxxx lots GagaJo... Research/academic evidence is always much appreciated to stop racism, sexism and all the cruel isms which cause many of the 'problems' in societies today... We should know better cos being kind and empathic is key to stable community life... the histories of diasporas clearly shows that humans are a mix-up...Many thanxxx again GagoJo :-)

Every single one of us has genes which originated in pre-history.

Ooooh if only Oldwoman70,how wonderfull life would be for all of us.

Callistemon

^I wonder what Jean would say about that!^

Who is Jean?

Racist caller to a radio show that told David Lammy (MP) he couldn't be English because he was black.

annodomini

There is evidence that some of us have Neanderthal genes. I wonder what Jean would say about that!

I'm sure I have taught a few of those!

I wonder what Jean would say about that!

Who is Jean?

It WAS news to me. Fascinating.

I remember watching on TV, something similarish to Who Do You Think You Are, a black American turned up in the UK, looking for the descendents of one of his relatives who had been taken to the UK as a servant.

The British family were quite unaware they had a black American man as a forebear.

My mum was very dark skinned as a younger woman with black hair. No idea where it came from. Both parents regular pale skinned Brits. Hasn't been handed down to either my brother or me.

The hypothesis is that skin colour lightened gradually as peoples travelled further north; this was in order to absorb more Vitamin D from the sun in northern climes.

There is evidence that some of us have Neanderthal genes. I wonder what Jean would say about that!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheddar_Man

25Avalon

I look as if I am questioning you but I'm not, it was in response to the information in the OP.

Perhaps many people aren't aware of our ancient history, of course, I'm assuming they are and it is something I've pointed out on here previously.

25Avalon

GagoJo he is a white school teacher in Somerset may even be Cheddar whose DNA matched that of bones found in Cheddar. They then reconstructed what Chaddar Man would have looked like. This was all the news a few years back.

I thought most people knew this?
And seen the reconstruction of early Britons?

Perhaps not!

Another interesting programme:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kfqps

Most of those who are European or Asian descent carry Neanderthal DNA too.

Does it really matter? I long for the day when a persons skin colour is as irrelevant as their shoe size!

Not exactly ground breaking news, several human “types” migrated from Africa, they would all have been dark skinned. The different types interbred and the smartest, homo sapiens dominated and has done for 40,000 yrs, lighter skin in colder regions was an advantage so over many generations that evolved. Recent DNA testing shows that ancient human gene types are still present to different extents in separate geographical regions
It would have been easily possible for generations of ancients to migrate to Northern Europe in a few hundred years, lighter skins probably took much longer. Because global travel is now so easy it is likely that skin colour will merge and in a couple of thousand years darker skin will predominate

GagoJo he is a white school teacher in Somerset may even be Cheddar whose DNA matched that of bones found in Cheddar. They then reconstructed what Chaddar Man would have looked like. This was all the news a few years back.

I was being lazy, asking for a link. I found one.

Adrian Targett visited the home of a close relative yesterday. He had to put on Wellington boots because the floor is muddy. The relative was not in. Hardly surprising: he died 9,000 years ago.

But there is no doubt: Mr Targett, a 42-year-old history teacher in Cheddar, Somerset, has been shown by DNA tests to be a direct descendant, by his mother's line, of "Cheddar Man", the oldest complete skeleton ever found in Britain, and now also the world's most distant confirmed relative.

His pupils were delighted. "He has never had a nickname ... until now," one 16-year-old said with relish.

www.independent.co.uk/news/family-link-reaches-back-300-generations-cheddar-cave-1271542.html

There is also evidence of human evolution in Asia. The story is believed to be more complex than was once thought. I wonder when we began to develop the hereditary characteristics such as skin and hair colour?

www.independent.co.uk/news/science/evolution-theory-out-africa-dali-skull-china-homo-erectus-sapiens-latest-a8064306.html

Alegrias1

I believe there is a living person in the South of England who is a proven descendant of Cheddar Man. Perhaps he should have a word with Jean.

This is fascinating. Do you have a link for this? HOW do they know he is a direct descendant of Cheddar Man?