The Origins and Spread of Blue Eyes in Europe: Evidence from Ancient DNA

Were Viking eyes really blue? Did Romans look more brown? And where do Europe’s first blue irises show up in the record?

How blue-eyed were the Vikings really? What about the Romans? And when did our ancestors first develop those striking blue eyes? Using 4,133 ancient genomes spanning 44,000 years, I set out to answer these fascinating questions.

The Big Questions

Popular culture paints Vikings as predominantly blue-eyed warriors, but how accurate is this image? Meanwhile,…