One of Scotland's first migrants had dark hair, brown eyes and was lactose-intolerant, skeleton DNA test reveals

A skeleton at least 4,250 years old found in the north of Scotland in 1987 has surprised archaeologists after new analysis has revealed she was a migrant from northern Europe.

When the skeleton was first found, the remains were discovered alongside a beaker, flint artefacts and cow bones.

Early work revealed the skeleton – who has become known as Ava – belonged to a woman aged between 18–25 who had been buried in an unusual grave cut into bedrock at Achavanich in Caithness.

A previous reconstruction of her appearance gave her blue eyes and red hair, but fresh DNA analysis has revealed she was more likely to have brown eyes and black hair, and was probably had a darker complexion than the local Neolithic population.

The genetic information also indicates Ava would have had an intolerance to lactose.

“When we started to explore the ancestry aspect of her DNA, we realised that genetically she had no relation to the local population who were residing in Caithness before her,” the study’s lead author, Maya Hoole, told The Independent.

“Her ancestors look like they moved into the Caithness area a few generations before she was born, suggesting she was a first or second generation migrant, with her predecessors most likely coming from somewhere in Northern Europe, such as the Netherlands.”


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/scotland-skeleton-immigrant-dna-ava-archaeology-natural-history-museum-caithness-a8666361.html