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I thought it might be useful to look at Ch*ddar Man as it appears so often in archaeological groups and is like catnip for the far right and white supremacists.
Long thread....
Long thread....
Ch*ddar Man was found in Goughâs Cave, Somerset in 1903 + dates to the Mesolithic, some 10,000 years ago. Advances in aDNA meant his skeleton was tested. There was also a bust being made for a TV prog, which used standard techniques to reconstruct his profile + physical features.
But what did he âlookâ like? Thatâs where the aDNA came in, which suggested a darker skin pigmentation with paler eyes and darker hair. To show *one* of the possibilities, he was given darker skin, dark hair and blue eyes. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/cheddar-man-mesolithic-britain-blue-eyed-boy.html?fbclid=IwAR2J9tJYySztc3MEsDk_35J5pEh5gMqb57HnR1UXofmyBG2J-qtRJKrfEm8
The importance of this is that this is one of range of possibilities: thatâs good archaeology. Nobody said he looked exactly like the bust, but he *could* have done. Whatever, even had he had green eyes and slightly paler skin, he would never have looked white. Not even slightly.
This finding caused furore amongst the far right + the racist campaign began. You will see CM discussed as being a lie: an untruth created by politically correct archs to promote + justify what far right see as invasion of their white indigenous homeland in present day
Racists will tout New Scientist article to justify their claims: but NS piece actually does standard arch thing of disagreeing with aspect of previous research, but again suggests that CMâs genetic markers show range of possibilities, but all darker skin. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2161867-ancient-dark-skinned-briton-cheddar-man-find-may-not-be-true/?fbclid=IwAR3cJgfOhEz6bcV419HlkJxn07BAq1PQtSJmCTYBTpNXPPMW9X_9oq5mGcM
Those who share this racist agenda look plausible: they will talk of haplogroups and genetic markers, migrations and chromosomes. They will use just enough archaeological evidence to appear plausible.
But donât be fooled, there is an agenda: S*rvive the J*ve (otherwise known as history graduate, T0m R0wsell) has been recorded by Hope not Hate giving a lecture to a far right group which has Nati0nal Fr0nt and other white supremacist connections. https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/inside-generation-identity-uk/?fbclid=IwAR3cJgfOhEz6bcV419HlkJxn07BAq1PQtSJmCTYBTpNXPPMW9X_9oq5mGcM
The other regularly referred to âsourceâ: - âThe F0ur Flags: The Indigenous People of Great Britainâ - was written by Arthur Kemp, a one time senior British National Party member.
Kemp is thought to be behind N1ck Gr1ffinâs âIndigenous Britonâ narrative which was was so publicly exposed to ridicule by Bonnie Greer on BBCâs Question Time in 2009.
Arthur Kemp has a degree in political science + no arch or genetics qualification.
Arthur Kemp has a degree in political science + no arch or genetics qualification.
As an aside, Kemp writes in his book that the âNeolithic era also saw the introduction of iron-working, which replaced bronze as the metal of choice, bringing an end to the Bronze Ageâ (Kemp 2018, 41) which, to be honest, tells you exactly how much Kemp knows about archaeology
Arch evidence should not be dictated to by far right: it should be free to make evolving, changing discoveries which will sometimes confirm what we have believed + will sometimes throw out previous knowledge + provide conclusions that may be confronting to who we *think* we are.
But the one thing we need to be very careful of is allowing archaeology to be co-opted by those with modern hate agendas. The past is always political, but that does not mean it can be used as a mechanism for hate.
