[SunkenCiv]

Her findings suggest that red hair and fair skin was very uncommon among ancient Germans... people had more UV-tolerant skin that tans easily.

This is it for me tonight. My dark complexion comes from the German side. Personally, I'd always attributed it to Jews, Gypsies, and the Huns.

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.

[SunkenCiv]

Same source, linked from the page linked above:

Ancient DNA may be misleading scientists
by Danny Kingsley
Tuesday, 18 February 2003

A group of researchers at the Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre of the University of Oxford, in Britain, made the finding while studying Viking specimens. They found that about half of the specimens had DNA that suggested they were of Middle Eastern origin.

But more detailed analysis revealed that many of the genetic sequences in the double helix molecule, which carries the genetic information of every individual, were damaged at a key base that separates European sequences from Middle Eastern genetic types - damage which made the skeletons appear to have originated in the Levant.

A Middle Eastern drift among the Vikings is at least plausible, as so many served as mercs for the Byzantine emperors. But half? Not bloody likely!

[nmh]

"In the 1920s, the Neanderthals were reconstructed as wild people with dark hair and dumb, not really clever," she said. "Today, with the same fossil record, with the same bones and no other information - just a change in ideology - you see reconstructions of people with blue eyes and quite light skin colour, looking intelligent and using tools.

"Most of the reconstructions you see in museums are a thing of the imagination of the reconstructor. Our goal is to make this reconstruction less subjective and give them an objective basis with scientific data."

Shhhhh ... this is also true of evolution. It is just someones godless imagination at work. As more evidence is uncovered and objectively viewed it suggests the opposite of some dumb ape like "person".

[afraidfortherepublic]

Many of today's Germans have UV tolerant skin that tans beautifully as contrasted to my (mostly) English/Irish/Swedish skin that reddens and blisters and peels. I used to envy the beautiful tans that my German friends could get.

[ValerieUSA]

Her findings suggest that red hair and fair skin was very uncommon among ancient Germans. Out of a total of 26 people analysed, Schmidt found only one person with red hair and fair skin, a man from the Middle Ages.

What is the incidence of red hair in Germany today? Probably less than one in 26. What a tiny number of people studied. How can she draw any responsible conclusions so soon?

Redheads are more commonly found on the internet now than anywhere else on earth at any time. *L*

[Wilhelm Tell]

That is interesting. What is now Germany is a mixture of peoples, since it is right in the middle of Europe. If I am not mistaken, red hair is a sign of the original Celtic people who once lived in most of Europe. I suppose if the ancient Germanic people originated in central Asia, then they probably did not have blond hair and blue eyes!

I have traced my earliest ancestors to a remote place in the Swiss Alps hundreds of years ago. Supposedly Germanic tribes moved into the area thousands of years ago and displaced the Celtic tribes that were living there. I cannot even think about sunlight without getting a sunburn! People in my family are prone to skin cancer as they get older. I have to wear a long-sleeved shirt and a broad-rimmed hat if I am going to spend any time outside working in the yard, etc. Once I went hiking for a few hours without a hat and I got a bad sunburn on my face and neck.

I have wondered what effects geography and climate have on what we think of as race over a long period of time. People have different complexions, etc. but the genetic differences among the different peoples of the world are actually very small.

[ThanhPhero]

She is identifying as German those who lived in the geographical bounds of modern Germany. Read history a little and know that "Germans" came east from somewhere into Europe in great waves just a little A.D. That 3 thousand year old bag of bones is simply irrelevant to what Germans looked like.

[freedom44]

What's interesting is that Germans and Iranians come from the same tribe - the Aryans.

In fact, the name Iran means "Land of the Aryans". In parts of Iran there's lots of light hair and eyes, but the majority have light to olive skin tone with dark hair and eyes. Although the facial structure is more european than middle eastern.

Nevertheless, the difference in appearance is fairly wide between the two. I guess generations of war, and devastation in the Persian Empire didn't exactly help.