Trait prediction based off ancient DNA from this website: https://adnaxp.github.io

You can check ancient and modern samples.

What does this indicate?

Of all IndoEuropeans, Yamnaya, the “original” IndoEuropeans, seem to be the phenotypically “darkest” with largely brown eyes/hair, Corded Ware intermediate with blue eyes and lighter hair popping up a bit more, and Sintasha the “lightest”.

Medieval Germans were even more phenotypically lighter than all IndoEuropeans despite having less IndoEuropean ancestry and more Anatolian farmer DNA.

Ancient Greeks (Minoans Mycenaeans) were a Southern European type phenotype. They largely had brown eyes, darker hair, and modern Southern Euro skin tone. While lighter phenotypes obviously existed, the vast majority of Ancient Greeks had a stereotypically Southern phenotype.

So…

How did Indo-Europeans phenotype progressively change in such a short time span despite acquiring significantly more Anatolian farmer DNA, to the point, where Medieval Germans were far lighter than their IndoEuropean ancestors despite having less of their DNA?

That can likely be explained by sexual selection, not evolution. The widespread phenotype diversity at the high percentages we see today in some European populations is relatively recent and probably reflects trait selection. Example: If there’s only 5 redheads per 1000 people, but redheads have more children (let’s say kings really liked redheaded women… or societal beauty standards valued them more…), in a few generations, it can be 20 per 1000 people. In 50 generations, it can increase to 80 per 1000 people. And so on…

So…. What does it mean and what’s the point of this post?

The point is

1) Some people have claimed that the Ancient Greeks or Yamnaya were “Nordic” looking, but evidence shows the exact opposite.

2) Not all IndoEuropeans were the same or looked the same. Modern people that received IndoEuropean ancestry via different historical migrations/groups can have widely different looks despite descending from somewhat similar populations— phenotype can correlate to genotype, but not always, and only when historical circumstances are properly understood.