I find it odd that some folks still make the early development of man a conundrum. For many years, scientists have established that mankind's origin, irrespective of race, stems from Africa. Now, more evidence, specifically skull fragments, affirms that the early Europeans at one time bore a striking resemblance to people of color. Check out this excerpt, courtesy of the UK's Daily Mail:
Dressed in a suit, this person would not look out of place in a busy street in a modern city.
The clay sculpture, however, portrays the face of the earliest known modern European - a man or woman who hunted deer and gathered fruit and herbs in ancient forests more than 35,000 years ago.
It was created by Richard Neave, one of Britain's leading forensic scientists, using fossilized fragments of skull and jawbone found in a cave seven years ago.
Forensic Scientist Richard Neave reconstructed the face based on skull fragments from 35,000 years ago
His recreation offers a tantalizing glimpse into life before the dawn of civilization. It also shows the close links between the first European settlers and their immediate African ancestors.
To sculpt the head, Mr Neave called on his years of experience recreating the appearance of murder victims as well as using careful measurements of bone.
It was made for the BBC2 series The Incredible Human Journey. This will follow the evolution of humans from the cradle of Africa to the waves of migrations that saw Homo sapiens colonize the globe.
The head has taken pride of place on the desk of Alice Roberts, an anthropologist at Bristol University, who presents the program.
'It's really quite bizarre,' she told Radio Times. 'I'm a scientist and objective but I look at that face and think "Gosh, I'm looking at the face of somebody from 40,000 years ago" and there's something weirdly moving about that.
For the "first European" article in its entirety, click on the link below:
The first European: Created from fragments of fossil, the face of our forbears 35,000 years ago
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