The Reconstructed Face Of The “Cheddar Man” (c. 7,000 BCE) Compared To His Living Descendant, Adrian

The Reconstructed Face Of The “Cheddar Man” (c. 7,000 BCE) Compared To His Living Descendant, Adrian

The reconstructed face of the “Cheddar Man” (c. 7,000 BCE) compared to his living descendant, Adrian Targett    

The Cheddar Man is a Mesolithic skeleton that was recovered from England’s Cheddar Gorge in 1903. At around 9,000 years old, the Cheddar Man is the oldest complete skeleton ever discovered in the UK, and has long been hailed as the “first Briton.” DNA analysis on the Cheddar man from 2018 indicated that he was lactose intolerant, had light-colored eyes, dark brown or black hair, and had a dark to black skin tone. Although the discovery of the Cheddar Man’s dark skin tone was surprising for both scientists and the public alike, it corresponds with recent research suggesting that genes linked to lighter skin only began to spread about 8,500 years ago - approximately 32,000 years later than what was previously believed.  

In addition to the development on his skin tone, the Cheddar Man surprised scientists in 1997 when DNA analysis revealed that he had a living descendant -  a retired history teacher named Adrian Targett. Targett and the Cheddar man share the same mtDNA, which is passed down from mother to daughter. In other words, they share a common maternal ancestor. What is even more remarkable is that Targett lives in Cheddar, only a half mile away where his 9,000-year-old ancestor was discovered.

Targett was not invited to the initial reveal of his ancestor’s new facial reconstruction, but he has since seen it and has commented on the family resemblance. “I do feel a bit more multicultural now,” he once joked in an interview “And I can definitely see that there is a family resemblance. That nose is similar to mine. And we have both got those blue eyes.”

The development of the Cheddar Man’s skin tone has generated resistance, especially among far-right and white supremacist circles. Targett, however, is unbothered by it, stating that it is “marvelous what scientists can reconstruct once they sequence the DNA.” When asked if he thought whether the findings affected the way people think about race, Targett responded: “Yes, I do think it’s significant. Not many people in Cheddar mind it. But the lesson is that we’re all immigrants, whether you’ve been in a place for 10 minutes or 9,000 years. We’ve all come from somewhere.”

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7 years ago

Hey Guys

So as maybe some of you know, I’m in college now. After a lot of thought, about my past and my future, I decided to change this blog into a general blog, mostly history related. I love Europe! I love Lithuania! I want to be able to talk my interests outside of the contexts of Hetalia, considering while it did get me into researching more than it had, and I wouldn’t have fallen in love with Lithuania if I hadn’t watched the show, I feel like I can’t communicate with blogs relating to history and stuff and be taken seriously. So, this blog that was @ask-cosplay-nyo-lithuania is now this! I’m still around and stuff if you want to chat, I’m just going to be talking about more real stuff than an anime.

For people who will know me after this post, I was a big fan of hetalia for years because I had a love for European History and the show inspired me to look into new places and new times. Please don’t hold that against me! I know how the fandom has been in the past, and I know it’s rough, but I am serious about history, and I want to go into research, potentially becoming a professor one day. I plan on going to grad school, probably going into anthropology, and using my skills to help people learn more about the past.

7 years ago

❤ thank you for being so sweet!!!

^-^ Of course! I love everybody and you're blog is one of my faves.

5 years ago

Are you polish?

nope

8 years ago

BIRTHDAY TOMORROW

TOMORROW? BIRTHDAY? IMPORTANT ONE! TOMORROW! SLIGHTLY TERRIFIED? BUT STILL, TOMORROW! ADULTHOOD??????? PLEASE SPARE ME???


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3 years ago

Go ahead and email again. They tend to be very busy and emails can get lost! My rabbi was away the week I contacted the synagogue, so it took a bit to hear back. If you haven't heard anything though, you're email probably got lost though, so don't feel bad about contacting them again!

I have a question for other Jews by choice: when you first contacted a rabbi, how long did it take for them to initially respond? I emailed the rabbi in my town over two weeks ago now and still haven't heard anything. Is this normal or should I try contacting the rabbi/the temple again? And would it be better to call than to email?

9 years ago

@zaxawesome is the guy getting beaten, I'm that girl.

Walter Molino, 1958

Walter Molino, 1958

8 years ago

I'm sorry to hear that sweetie!! Don't beat yourself up over it, it was just a small mistake and I'm sure you'll get a chance to do something like this again in the future.

I'm planning on doing band next year in college no matter what. I don't really like competitive stuff too, just really disappointed today.

3 years ago

my grandma has this 115 year old picture book, and apparently in 1907 they would just let you publish anything

My Grandma Has This 115 Year Old Picture Book, And Apparently In 1907 They Would Just Let You Publish
My Grandma Has This 115 Year Old Picture Book, And Apparently In 1907 They Would Just Let You Publish
My Grandma Has This 115 Year Old Picture Book, And Apparently In 1907 They Would Just Let You Publish
My Grandma Has This 115 Year Old Picture Book, And Apparently In 1907 They Would Just Let You Publish
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lil-history-egg - Let Me Rant
Let Me Rant

Hello! I'm Zeef! I have a degree in history and I like to ramble! I especially like the middle ages and renaissance eras of Europe, but I have other miscellaneous places I like too!

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