What Was the Hair Color of the Ancient Greeks?

The hair color of the ancient Greeks is a topic that has long intrigued historians and researchers. While we lack direct evidence, indirect clues about their appearance, including hair color, can be gleaned from art, literature, and archaeological findings. What, then, does this evidence reveal?

Different tribes of ancient Greeks

We should bear in mind that there were different tribes among the ancient Greeks. The Ionians, Dorians, Aeolians, and Achaeans were the most dominant. Each of them had slightly different geographic origins and cultural traits that distinguished them.

Each Greek tribe settled in different regions, and over time, slight genetic variations may have emerged. For example, the Dorians settled in southern Greece, Crete, and parts of the Peloponnese as well as Macedonia, while the Ionians settled in central Greece and along the coast of Asia Minor. The Aeolians occupied areas of Thessaly and the Aegean islands.

According to a study in 2015 titled “Massive migration from the steppe was a source for Indo-European languages in Europe,” researchers analyzed the spread of steppe ancestry across Europe. This study found that while steppe ancestry did reach Greece (likely during or after the Mycenaean period), it was relatively minor compared to northern and central European populations.

This suggests that ancient Greeks had a predominantly Mediterranean genetic makeup, with dark hair and eyes being common overall. While there were some genetic inputs from northern populations, especially during later periods (for instance, the Dorian invasions), it is unlikely that these influences significantly altered overall hair color distribution across the tribes.

Evidence from ancient Greek art

Ancient Greek art, known for its beauty and precision, provides valuable visual records of what people looked like. Statues, wall paintings, and pottery mainly depict people with dark features, hair, and eyes. Figures with blond hair, on the other hand, appear infrequently.

Even light-skinned figures are rarely depicted as blond as Northern Europeans, and their physical characteristics, such as physique, generally remain on par with their olive-skinned counterparts. This observation reinforces the view that the ancient Greeks had predominantly Mediterranean characteristics, with little deviation from this norm. It also suggests that fair-skinned types were not as common and did not differ significantly in physique from olive-skinned types.

Hair color in the Mycenean era

Mycenaean frescoes often depict ancient Greeks with a variety of hair colors, including dark brown and black. These depictions are consistent with the Mediterranean genetic background. There are also some figures with lighter hair colors, such as red or blond.

For example, at the Palace of Pylos and other sites, certain male figures are depicted with red or auburn hair, though the majority have black hair.

A 2017 study titled “Genetic Origins of the Minoans and Mycenaeans” analyzed ancient DNA from Minoan (Crete) and Mycenaean (mainland Greece) skeletons, dating from around 1900–1200 BC.

The findings showed that both Minoans and Mycenaeans had a genetic profile largely similar to each other, sharing about 75 percent of their ancestry with early Neolithic farmers from Anatolia. They also had genetic ties to populations from the Caucasus and Iran, reflecting some additional Eastern input.

The Mycenaeans had a small but notable northern genetic contribution (around 10-15 percent) from Eastern Europe or Siberia, which may have come from steppe-related populations. However, their genetic makeup was still predominantly Mediterranean and Near Eastern, suggesting continuity with earlier Aegean populations rather than significant genetic input from Northern Europe.

Classical Greek era hair color

During the Classical era, most ancient Greeks likely had dark hair, with shades of black or brown being predominant.

Greek pottery, mosaics, and sculptures from the Classical period depict people with a variety of hair colors, though the vast majority have dark hair.

However, ancient writers such as Plutarch and Aelius describe historical figures—Alexander the Great, for instance—as having blond hair. While this was not the norm, it suggests that lighter hair existed among Greeks.

Genetic continuity between ancient and modern Greeks provides additional clues about their hair color. Modern Greeks are predominantly dark-haired, with brown and black being the most common colors, though lighter shades of brown and blond hair also appear, albeit less frequently.

The genetic study of 2017 showed that modern Greeks share a substantial amount of their ancestry with ancient Greeks. This implies that a similar distribution of hair colors likely existed during the Classical era.

Iliad descriptions of the hair color of ancient Greek tribes and characters—gods and demigods

In Homer’s Iliad, there are certain descriptions of hair color for key characters, offering insight into the diversity of hair color since the Mycenaean period. For instance, the Abantians, a tribe from Chalcis and Euboea, are described as having “long black hair.”

However, the Iliad describes Achilles as blond (xanthos) just like Menelaus. Other blond characters in the Homeric poems are Peleus, Meleager, Agamede, and Rhadamanthys.

Euripides also describes Helen, the fairest woman who was the cause of the Trojan War, as blond.

Among the gods, Apollo is described in the Iliad as having golden or radiant hair. The term “golden” symbolizes his role as the god of the sun, light, and beauty. His golden hair often represents his to light.

According to Pausanias, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, made by Phidias, had a majestic and imposing appearance. Pausanias noted that Zeus had black hair and a beard.

At last, it’s important to consider that many people still hold the belief that the ‘original’ Greeks were blond. This idea was actively promoted by Nazi propaganda, which distorted ancient Greece’s history, emphasizing that ancient Greeks and Romans were the racial ancestors of the Germans. This was used to legitimize their supremacist ideology and promote a ‘Nordic-Greek’ cultural legacy.