THE TRUTH BEHIND EUROPE´S FIRST GREAT ARTISTS

CHEDDAR MAN

Have you ever heard of ´Cheddar Man´? He is a human male skeleton found in Gough's Cave in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England. The skeletal remains date to around the mid-to-late 9th millennium BC. The interesting thing about this guy was that after extensive DNA tests it was shown that Cheddar Man’s ancestors left Africa, moved into the Middle East and headed west into Europe before arriving in Britain. And so, as you can see from the picture - a facial reconstruction - this young man had blue eyes and, oh my oh my, dark skin. 🤣😂🤣😜

BEAUTIFUL CAVE PAINTINGS

But this post is about art. Especially, to talk about those hundreds of cave painting sites that modern Europeans have so proudly found extraordinary. Have you ever wondered about the people who created those magnificent cave paintings thousands of years ago? You know, the ones that show bison, horses, and other animals with such incredible detail that they could put some modern artists to shame. Well, my point is, (whispering)  they probably didn't look anything at all like today's normal Europeans.

Why This Matters

There's a funny thing that I've noticed happening in many history books or Google images or other places. Open them up to the section about prehistoric cave art, and you'll often find illustrations showing light-skinned, sometimes even blonde-haired people painting on cave walls. What's up with that? Something's definitely not quite right!

What Science Actually Tells Us

Here's the cool part: scientists have done their homework. Through genetic studies of ancient human remains, we now know that the early Homo sapiens who first arrived in Europe (around 45,000 years ago) were recent migrants from Africa. And guess what? They kept their African features, including darker skin, for thousands of years after arriving in Europe. Ah, remember Cheddar Man?

Think about it: those incredible cave paintings at places like Chauvet Cave in France (around 32,000 years ago) were likely created by people who looked more like modern sub-Saharan Africans than modern Europeans. The pale skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair we associate with Europeans today didn't show up until much later – probably around 8,000 years ago!

Why Did European Features Evolve Later?

The story of how Europeans got their lighter features is actually pretty fascinating. It's all about vitamin D and sunlight. Dark skin is great protection against the strong sun in Africa, but in the cloudy north of Europe, you need all the vitamin D you can get. Over thousands, and I mean thousands of years, lighter skin evolved as an adaptation to help people absorb more vitamin D from the limited sunlight.

Why Do Some Books and Websites and Youtube Channels Get It Wrong?

So why do some textbooks and museums still show these early artists as light-skinned Europeans? It's a mix of outdated information and, let's be honest, some unconscious bias. For a long time, many Europeans liked to imagine their ancestors as being just like them, even though science tells us a different story.

The Bottom Line

The next time you see those amazing cave paintings, remember: they were created by our ancient relatives who had recently journeyed from Africa. They were skilled artists, sophisticated thinkers, and yes, they probably had dark skin. It's a reminder that human creativity and artistic talent have nothing to do with skin color, and that European civilization, like all human civilization, has its roots in Africa.

The real story is actually much more interesting than the myth, don't you think?

Oh yeah, Cheddar Man. He is currently on display in the Natural History Museum in London. He is actually known as ´The First Brit´. You can go and give him a visit and please, tell him thank you for leaving behind such wonderful art.

Thanks for reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas