SUMMARY. Studies in the field of ancient DNA began thirty years ago. Key discoveries have proven that ancient DNA is an important tool in the search for difficult answers about our past. Studies on the genetics of pigmentation have shown that adaptation to different UV radiation was the main contributing factor to the formation of the current pigmentation pattern in Europe, but there is evidence that highlights the additional effect of selection sexual. Of the various genes described as playing a role in determining human skin, hair and eye color, HERC2, SLC24A4 and SLC45A2 appear to be most strongly associated with these phenotypic characteristics. Keywords: ancient DNA, genetics of pigmentation, melaninIntroductionArchaeological human DNA Human remains are an important tool in the search for difficult answers about our past: the evolution and origin of the human species, the origin of our diseases, genetics and the evolution of our phenotypic characteristics. The first results in this field were obtained in 1985 by Pääbo et al from a 2430 year old Egyptian mummy (Kefi, 2011). This study used bacterial cloning to amplify small, ancient DNA sequences. With the development of improved techniques such as PCR and next-generation sequencing technologies, it has become possible to systematically isolate and amplify ancient DNA, and overcome problems associated with DNA alteration old (Rizzi et. al, 2012). Preservation of ancient DNA DNA depends not only on the age and type of the sample (Grigorenko et al, 2009), but also on environmental conditions. Alteration of ancient DNA is a consequence of autolysis and microbial degradation, but humidity, high or highly variable temperatures, and highly alkaline or acidic pH also contribute to the...... environment paper ......d irides, Pigment Cell Melanoma Research 21: 97-105Walsh, S., Liu, F., Ballantyne, KN, Oven, M., Lao, O., Kayser, M. (2011) IrisPlex: a sensitive DNA tool for accurate prediction of blue and brown eye color in the absence of ancestry information, Forensic Science International: Genetics, 5, 170-180Walsh, S., Liu, F. , Wollstein, A., Kovatsi, L., Ralf, A., Kosiniak-Kamysz, A., Branicki, W., Kayser, M. (2013) The HIrisPlex system for simultaneous hair and eye color prediction from DNA, Forensic Science International: Genetics, 7, 98-115Wang, Y., Li, SM, Huang, J., Chen, SY, Liu, YP (2014) TYR and MITF gene mutations are associated to plumage color phenotypes in geese, Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Science, 27(6), 778-783Wasmeier, C., Hume, AN, Bolasco, G., Seabra, MC (2008) Melanosomes at a glance 'eye, Journal of cell science, 121, 3995-3999