ToBeOrNotToBe
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The title is basically a fancy way of saying the following: How can we account for widespread reports of, for example, red hair in certain regions where rufosity is currently virtually absent? (This applies slightly to blue eyes too, and to a much lesser extent blonde hair)
This applies particularly to the Balkans and West Asia - as a few examples, we have the Thracians and Spartans (I don't care what ancient DNA says now or in the future, these guys were definitely red-headed, be it all of them or just the warrior class), and just ancient Greeks in general to be honest (many, many, many examples - if you want a comprehensive list, just look up what some Nordicist has to say about the topic).
It doesn't end with the Hellenic world though, which can clearly be best explained by Steppe-related populations ruling over Neolithic meds, a la Spartans and helots (yes, I saw the Mycenaean paper saying the royal tomb was no different, but the Steppe input was still there, and it was also a woman iirc not a man). You have lots of mummies in ancient Egypt dating before the Ptolemaic period with sometimes blonde but especially red hair (look up Ramses II), and indeed you have the puzzle of the Jews having levels of red hair that cannot currently be explained (and this is an old phenomenon - King David was described as red-headed for example).
How do we explain this?
This applies particularly to the Balkans and West Asia - as a few examples, we have the Thracians and Spartans (I don't care what ancient DNA says now or in the future, these guys were definitely red-headed, be it all of them or just the warrior class), and just ancient Greeks in general to be honest (many, many, many examples - if you want a comprehensive list, just look up what some Nordicist has to say about the topic).
It doesn't end with the Hellenic world though, which can clearly be best explained by Steppe-related populations ruling over Neolithic meds, a la Spartans and helots (yes, I saw the Mycenaean paper saying the royal tomb was no different, but the Steppe input was still there, and it was also a woman iirc not a man). You have lots of mummies in ancient Egypt dating before the Ptolemaic period with sometimes blonde but especially red hair (look up Ramses II), and indeed you have the puzzle of the Jews having levels of red hair that cannot currently be explained (and this is an old phenomenon - King David was described as red-headed for example).
How do we explain this?