One of the common types of appearance is considered Mediterranean. Its features are worth understanding. This article will detail the general information and characteristics of the Mediterranean race.
General information
The Mediterranean type is one of the subspecies of the Caucasian race. The sociologist Georges Lapouge first mentioned him in the 19th century. Anthropologists began to actively use this term in the 20th century (such a scholar as Carlton Coon singled out this subrace). Hans Gunther preferred to call her Western.
Soviet anthropologists included this subspecies in the Indo-Mediterranean type, which also includes subtypes such as Caspian, Iranian and oriental. The distinctive features of the Indo-Mediterranean race can be called dark hair, an elongated face and brown eyes.
Distribution history
Separately, it is worth mentioning how such a race spread to other continents. In the Middle East in the III century BC there was a large birth rate, so the inhabitants of this region spread to the nearest territories.
Some people went to Western Europe and Africa (scientists began to call them Iberians).
Others went to the Caucasus. That is how the Armenians, Azerbaijanis, etc. appeared.
Still others moved towards India (after the conquest of the Australoids, the Near Asians mixed with them and founded the Indian state). Also, representatives of the Mediterranean race settled in the Balkans.
In the 1st century BC, the Celts headed west from Central Europe (several centuries ago, the Aryans conquered India and created a caste system).
According to anthropologists, earlier among the Celts there were more representatives of the Nordic type. Part of the Iberians during the movement of the Celts to the west was exterminated, and part - assimilated. That is how a similar subrace appeared.
Distinctive features
The Mediterranean race has the following symptoms:
- Narrow and elongated face.
- Short stature.
- Asthenic or normosthenic physique.
- Abundant facial hair.
The nose of representatives of such a subrace is long, and its back is high and straight (sometimes it can be slightly convex with a small hump).
Representatives of this race may have dry facial features depending on the subtype. Hair can be either black or dark brown. Most often, typical Mediterranean hairs are wavy.
As for the superciliary arches, they are much weaker than the Nordids. The Indo-Mediterranean minor race is also distinguished by the same features.
Separately, it is worth mentioning how the face looks from the representatives of this subrace full-face. The Mediterranean have a rounded forehead, and the chin is unclear, but slightly pointed.
The skin is usually dark, it feels soft to the touch, as if velvet. The hue is evenly distributed.
Representatives of the Mediterranean race easily sunbathe, but the blush on their cheeks is rare. As for the color of the lips, most often the Mediterranean lips have a cherry hue. Since the pigment protects the skin, they are adapted for life in tropical conditions.
The eyebrows have a dark color, so they seem thick. A similar type is distinguished by a thicker hairline on the skin than, for example, among representatives of the Nordic race. Eyelashes are usually long. In women belonging to this type, a dark fluff is often found in the upper lip.
What is the difference between the Mediterranean race? The skull. Most often it has an elongated shape. But at the same time, the part near the ears is high and non-flat.
As for eye color, they are most often black or brown. The conjunctiva is yellowish in color, and the iris is dark brown.
Body structure
An interesting fact is that the figure of a similar subtype, despite its short stature, does not look stocky. The proportions of the representatives of this race are no different from the proportions of the representatives of the Nordic type. In the article you can see what the Mediterranean race looks like, the photo is presented below.
The legs of representatives of this subrace are most often long and muscular. The lower legs are rather thin.
Most Mediterranean people finish growing earlier than other people. Another distinguishing feature is early puberty and rapid aging.
An interesting fact is that the figure of men of the Mediterranean type is less courageous: they have narrow shoulders, wide hips and a soft expression on their faces. But women, who are representatives of this race, look quite feminine: they differ in wide hips and more pronounced other forms.
Representatives of this type look gracefully not only the whole body, but also the individual parts: legs, arms. As a result, it seems that their body is light and flexible, the movements of people belonging to this race are smooth and graceful.
In most Mediterranean countries, the lower jaw is most often light, its symphyseal height is small. It is also narrow in the transverse diameter.
Typical representatives of the Mediterranean race
The peoples living on the Iberian Peninsula are typical representatives of this race. Many of its representatives live in southwestern France and central Italy.
It is also common in Syria, Israel and Palestine. Another bright representative of the Mediterranean type is the Georgians (the most such type is common in the western regions of this country).
Representatives of the Mediterranean subspecies and residents of Greece (southern and eastern) and islands located on the Mediterranean Sea.
This race is widespread in North Africa (its representatives were assimilated here in the Neolithic era), on the Arabian Peninsula. It is customary to include the inhabitants of Iraq, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. There are distinctive features of this type among residents of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
They also attribute to a similar subtype those who live in North India, Pakistan and on the island of Crete.
The Mediterranean admixture is also noticeable in the population of some regions of Germany (most often on the border with Italy). Also, this type of appearance is found among the inhabitants of Tyrol. Moreover, they have a slightly concave nasal profile and a low face.
An interesting fact is that in Tyrol (in addition to the Mediterranean variety of appearance) there is also a Western European type.
The Mediterranean subspecies is also seen in Central Europe. There are two options for explaining this phenomenon. According to the first version, the Atlantic elements appeared as a result of the modification of the Cro-Magnoids, which are one of the connecting links between the dark-pigmented Mediterranean and the light-pigmented Nordics.
According to the second version, for the first time a similar type appeared in Austria and Germany in the era of Ancient Rome. It was then that the Roman garrisons were here.
Antlanto-Mediterranean appearance
One of the common subtypes of the western subrace is the Atlanto-Mediterranean. It is most common in southwestern Europe, including in countries such as southern France, Portugal and Italy.
Representatives of this type of appearance have a narrow face. Unlike representatives of the western type, they are most often tall.
Pontic type
The Mediterranean race has a subspecies such as the Pontic subrace. Its distinguishing features are a high nose bridge and a convex nasal back. Typical Pontians tip the nose slightly down. Eyes and hair are most often dark.
A similar variety is most common off the coast of the Black Sea. People with this type of appearance are most often found in Ukraine and Adygea.
