Population based approach in anthropology.

[Not a Cop]

Population based approach has become the main approach in physical anthropology in second half of XX century.

The main difference between personal taxonomical approach and population approach is that lowest unit in population anthropology is not individual, like in taxonomical approach, but population - group of people viling close to each other and similar genetically.

One of the main theses of population approach anthropology is that individuals phenotype is hard to determine and it's basicly a recombination of traits, although some group of traits are more likely to combine than others.


Here is the basic taxonomy in populationist approach :


Original:







Translated version:



Distibution on maps:

[Not a Cop]

First of all i have to say that following material is not result of my own work, but a translated material from balto-slavica forum.

Antropology of Great Britain

Anthropological maps of GB

Irish people

Sample size is 10000 .
• Average age – 35 лет
• Average height (for 1st half of XX century) – 172 cm ( People on Western coast taller than on Eastern.)
• Weight – 157 pounds \ 71 kg
• Generally Irish men are well-built and have developed musculature; shoulder width – 39 cm; torso made up 53,3% from height; arms are long; arm span – 105% of total height.
By somatological data irish people are similar to west Norwegians,; Icelanders, Livs and Finns.
• Cephalic index is mesocephalic; Head height – 125 mm; length – 196 mm; Width – 154 мм. By this marks Irish are similar to Scandinavians and Balts.
• Jaw width (bigonal) – 109 mm
• Face width (Bizygomatic) – 141 mm
• Total face height – 127 mm
• Upper face height – 73 mm
• Facial index – 90 (leptomorhic); nasal index – 64-65 (leptorinne); nose heigt – 56 mm ; Nose width – 36mm
• Skin pigmentation: pale-rosy shades – 90%, light ovile (11 in Lushans scale) – 10% (on south-western coast – 4-7%, in central and south-eastern regions – 10-18%).
• Freckles are noted in 40% of Irish people (South-East - 30%, South-West – 60%).
• Beard growth is moderate.
• Hair structure: straight – 28% among catholics (44% among protestants). Generally wavy hair is predominant among Irish.
• Hair colour – black – 3%; dark brown - 40%; brown – 35%; chestnut-red – 5%; red – 4%; ash-blonde – 0,5%; rest shades (from light-brown to flaxen blonde) – 15%. Generally hair pigmentation among Irish is much darker, than in Scandinavia , but not much darker , than among Icelanders. Lightest hair colour are found among Aran islanders (light-brown shades are dominant), blonde hair is most frequent at South-West, but this are has the highest frequency of dark-brown and black hair.
• Eye colours: light - 46% (from which 42% are light-blue); mixed – 30%; dark-mixed (light-brown) - 23,5%. Irish are generally not darker in terms of eye colour than Scandinavians, but hair pigmentation is unproportional to eye pigmentation [Light eyes and dark hair combination is predominant]
• Nose shape: wavy and convex – 45%; straight – 48%; concave – 7%. Protestants have more convex noses and concavity is almost non-existant amongst them.
• Nose tip: 75% - thin; 25% - broad .
• Nose tip position: 2% - downturned; 98% - upturned or horizontal (in 20% nose tip is "upturned")
• Lips width is moderate.
• Prognathism – is noted in 8% of cases (from which 2% - is alveolar prognathism), but regional differences are strong in this trait.




In few traits protestnats (Presbyterians) are different to catholics, due to predominant Scottish ancesrty. Presbyterians are taller, have longer and thinner skulls, longer and thinner faces. In the same time Anglicans are almost same to catholic in anthropological terms.

Regional differences are not very strong with the exception of Aran island popualtion, which exibit following traits:

• Average height – 174,5 cm (highest in Ireland)
• Legs are longer, than torso
• Average skull length – 198,3 mm (extreme value)
• Average head height – 120,3 mm (extremly low value)
• Average face length – 130mm
• Average nose length – 57 mm

There is no analogues of Aran population in continental Europe.

Few examples from Anthropological books:

[Not a Cop]

English people

• Hair pigmentation: black – from 0% to 10% in majority of regions (in Wales and Cornwall– up to 20% (max.); on Eastern coast – less than 1%); dark-brown – from 14% to 43% in majority of regions (<30% in zone of heaviest Anglo-Saxon influence; >30% on western coast; 40% in Cornwall); brown – from 24% to 57%; light brown and blonde shades – from 5% to 47% (>25% on North sea coast; 10-15% in Cornwall). Among blonde shades yellowish shades are predominant, but ash-blonde shades are also present, unlike in Irish .
• Eye colours (sample size – 84 ): light colour – 29,8%; light-mixed – 27,4%; brown and dark brown – 2,4%; dark-mixed – 40,4%.
In generall among English people light and light-mixed colours are predominant and make up 62% of population.(90% - on North-sea coast; 55% - in Cornwall; 55-60% in big cities). Cornwall population have darkest pigmentation, although they are far from classical mediterranian populations.

In generall English people have following characteristics: pale skin, light or light-mixed eyes, brown hair with strong red-haired minority. Blondism is generally linked to Normann influences.

• Average height (for 1st half of XX century) – 172 cm.
In England and Wales height is more connected to social status, than to geographical position. Average height of Cambridge students (in 1911 y.) – 177 cm (in 1888 y. – 175 см). Average height of British criminals – 168 cm. Average height of aristocracy and capitalists– 174,4 cm. Average height of clerks and shop owners – 172,6 cm. Average height of farmers and road workers – 171,5 cm. Average height of miners, factory workers and sailors - <170 cm.
• Cephalic index (data on English, Cornish and Welsh is similar ) – rangel from 76 to 80, depending on region.
• Nose is leptorinne, in range of european variations.
• Hair structure – straight hair is dominant wavy hair is also common and curly hair is much rarer.
• Nose shape (data on English, Irish and Scottish combined): straight – from 50% to 80%; «wavy» – from 25% to 40%.

Few examples from Anthropological books:






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