23. The Cheddar Man Challenged Brits to Rethink What Their Ancestors Looked Like
In 1903, archeologists found a British native from the Mesolithic era who lived 10,000 years ago. The reason why he’s called “The Cheddar Man” is because he was found in Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, UK. He is one of the oldest nearly complete skeletons that has ever been discovered. Years later, the National History Museum in London examined the DNA of the Cheddar Man. For a long time, it was assumed that early Europeans would have had light skin too, because of the lack of sunlight. However, Cheddar Man’s genetic markers suggest that he would have the same skin pigment as what is found in Africa, but that he would have light blue eyes and thin, soft brown hair common in Europe. A company called Kennis & Kennis Reconstructions, who specializes in paleontological reconstructions, was asked to recreate what The Cheddar Man would have looked like. This waxwork is the result.