A DNA analysis has revealed that ‘Cheddar Man,’ UK’s most mature skeleton had dark skin and was named after the finding location, Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, England. He was discovered at the beginning of the 1900s, believed to be from the Mesolithic era.
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Deemed to be such ordinary prehistoric remains, Cheddar Man initially received little attention. However, it wasn’t until the turn of the century that scientists found that he had a living descendant residing in the same location.
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Cheddar Man was initially discovered in 1903, 65 feet inside Gough’s Cave, the biggest in the Cheddar Gorge’s system of 100 caves. He was buried alone, with analysis shows that the remains date back to the Mesolithic period, about 9,000 years ago.
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In 1997, a surviving descendant of Cheddar Man was found. First, scientists discovered the DNA in the pulp cavity of one of his molars, then they submitted the sample for testing at Oxford University. Later, scientists compared the DNA of 20 locals whose families have resided in the region for several generations, only to identify one of these matched with Cheddar Man.
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At the time of the discovery, scientists identified the DNA of Adrian Targett, a then 42-year-old history teacher as the descendant of Cheddar Man. It was said that Targett maternally descended from Cheddar Man, and it was notable that beside Targett, a reported figure of 46 members of his family never settled elsewhere from the region, the Somerset area.
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Archaeologists also indicated that Cheddar Man, despite being the most famous skeleton in Cheddar Gorge, is not the only remains found in this area. Records have documented that the site is “Britain’s prime site for Paleolithic human remains.”
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Multiple decades ago, archaeologists excavated another set of famous human remains, including the skulls of two adults and a three-year-old child being made into cups. The second examination proved that the skulls were collected upon the natural cause of death of the owners, and producing cups from them was a traditional craft.
In addition, numerous human bones were discovered with traces of butchery, indicating that these archaic individuals committed cannibalism.