The Hidden History of the Sumerians, “The Color Code” Part II

Before you read this article, I highly recommend reading Part I here, just click the link https://rebirthoftheword.com/the-hidden-history-of-the-sumerians-haplogroups-part-i/

Ever since I can remember, I have been told repeatedly that humanity began its adventurous life in Africa, possibly as far back as 6 million years ago. And when it comes to our ancestors, I’ve learned from Penn State Researchers that “We inherit our skin color from our ancestors, and so it is obviously a trait that is tied to our biology and genetics.”

Appearance

According to different sources using Google, Black Hair is the most common natural hair color in the world. Around 75% to 85% of people worldwide have some shade of black hair.

And in ancient Mesopotamia, according to Samuel Noah Kramer, Andrew George, and many others, the Sumerians were known as the ‘black-headed people.’

When it comes to visualizing what the Sumerians once possibly looked like, many people will turn to artifacts such as statues.

And one thing that many people have pointed out, coming from academic scholars to just ordinary history buffs, is the color of some of the statue’s eyes found throughout ancient Mesopotamia. Many of these statues have blue eyes, which are sometimes made from Lapis lazuli.

According to The College Of Physicians Of Philadelphia (Behind Blue Eyes: A Look at the Genetic and Cultural Components that Propelled the Spread of Blue-Eyed Humans BY MÜTTER EDU STAFF), “The Neolithic Revolution occurred between 6,000-10,000 years ago, and because people were better able to procure a steady source of food, the population increased significantly. The technologies which emerged during this time allow archaeologists and researchers to track cultural migration from the northwestern part of the Black Sea region (where the first humans with blue eyes lived) into the rest of Europe.”

So, the idea that some of the Sumerians were possibly blue-eyed, black-haired individuals is a fantastic description for a group of people, but what about skin color?

Mankind

It’s apparent that I’m not the only person who is and was curious about why the Sumerians were identified as “the black-headed” (people). Many people have voiced their opinion about the Sumerians identifying themselves as “the black-headed” (people) because of their hair color.

According to Mattias Karlsson, From Sumer to Assyria: The Term “Black-headed People” in Assyrian Texts, “The people of ancient Sumer are sometimes referred to as ‘black-headed people’ (Sumerian sag-ge; Akkadian salmat qaqqadi) in Sumerian texts. This term is, for example, attested in the so-called Neo-Sumerian Period. In one of the royal hymns of Shulgi (ca 2094-2047 BCE), The said ruler is described as ‘the herdsman (na-gada)and shepherd (sipad) of the black-headed people.”

SAG(.DU) means ‘head’ in Sumerian and corresponds to qaqqadu in Akkadian, and GE means ‘black’ in Sumerian and corresponds to salmu in Akkadian.

Gene SLC24A5

Nina G. Jablonski, Evan Pugh University Professor of Anthropology at The Pennsylvania State University, says, “My ultimate goal in this research is for people to understand that their skin color is a result of evolution. That’s it. Skin color has no connection to the evolution of other traits.”

Many people are genuinely wondering how “white skin” came about.

Dr. Keith Cheng, a distinguished professor of pathology at Penn State, and colleagues “identified a key gene that contributes to lighter skin color in Europeans and differs from West Africans. In 2005, Cheng reported that one amino acid difference in the gene SLC24A5 is a key contributor to the skin color difference between Europeans and West Africans.”

This possibly happened around 6-10,000 years ago. And according to the research done by Dr. Cheng, “the region where the highest percentage of people have the mutation is between the Middle East and India. So the one individual who first had the mutation is likely to have lived in this region, and this person’s ancestors then spread to Europe and India.”

About 10,000 Years Ago

When it comes to blond hair and blue eyes, there will never be an agreement among scientists of when they first appeared. However, many scientists believe that blond hair and blue eyes evolved around 10,000 years ago, give or take. This is about the same time when “white” skin appeared.

So before “white” skin, blond hair, and blue eyes, humans were heavily melanated, so it’s hard for me to believe that there was any need for one to identify themselves as black-headed people like the Sumerians did, which is highly suggested by some academic scholars.

Samuel Noah Kramer shares that the Sumerian people identified themselves as the “black-headed” people since around 2000 B.C. This is still believed today among individuals like Mattias Karlsson, who was mentioned earlier. The Ubaidians inhabited the land of “Sumer” before the Sumerians, which is known throughout the academic world. Then the Sumerians and Akkadians both took over the land and inhabited the land of Sumer. Why would the Sumerians need to identify themselves as the black-headed people if black hair is the most common hair color?

Until Next Time Knowledge Is Power