Inquizzzitor
11-17-2016, 04:17 PM
Lately I've been increasingly fascinated with the genetic clusterfuck that is modern-day France. So many different phenotypes coming into play, so much genetic contribution coming from all over (well, in a Euro/Mediterranean context, at least).
I've seen genetic maps of France that either paint too broad a brush or else are weirdly specific in ways that I find likely unscientific (for example, marking out small, specific areas for "Greco-Roman" contribution, when I am pretty sure there haven't been studies that detailed - see image attached to see what I am talking about).62972
Anyway, I've gotten really interested in it because I have a great-grandmother from France. Right in the very enter of the country. An area called "Creuse." She was pretty dark in complexion (dark brown hair, brown eyes, medum to tan skin), but did have a wider, rounder head which is more typical of Alpine than Mediterranean types. I am not convinced, however, that complexion and hair color is on a purely north-to-south gradient in France. I think it is possible that groups from specific regions of the country, like in the center where my great-grandmother is from, may in fact be darker than native French from other, more southerly places (just an idea).
Take for example another picture, which I did not pre-select in any way, from a religious procession in my great-grandmother's town. I have embedded the picture and linked to the website below in which it appears. Now, take a look at these 30-50 people in this photo. Not a blond hair in sight, even medium brown hair is spotted only on a couple of heads (one of the more obvious lighter brown ones being the teacher walking with the children in the front of the picture).62973
The rest are dark brown, some approaching black. And this is from a small French town in the sparsely populated interior from 60 years ago - so I think it is safe to say this is a random and fair representation of what native French in this area look like. They definitely tend toward the Mediterranean and in my opinion the ratio of dark brown to light hair is a on a ratio consistent with southern Spain, southern Italy, or Greece. They appear (just in my opinion) on average darker than Lombards, and most others in Northern Italy.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creuse_(d%C3%A9partement)
So what do we think of the French? How can we learn more? Have their mean large scale genetic studies of French from various regions? This seems underreported, and the French seem underrepresented given that they are the biggest nation in terms of land Mass in western Europe, have a central figure in European history and France has historically been at the crossroads of lots of different types of influences.
I'll try and find a picture of my great-grandmother if I can.
I've seen genetic maps of France that either paint too broad a brush or else are weirdly specific in ways that I find likely unscientific (for example, marking out small, specific areas for "Greco-Roman" contribution, when I am pretty sure there haven't been studies that detailed - see image attached to see what I am talking about).62972
Anyway, I've gotten really interested in it because I have a great-grandmother from France. Right in the very enter of the country. An area called "Creuse." She was pretty dark in complexion (dark brown hair, brown eyes, medum to tan skin), but did have a wider, rounder head which is more typical of Alpine than Mediterranean types. I am not convinced, however, that complexion and hair color is on a purely north-to-south gradient in France. I think it is possible that groups from specific regions of the country, like in the center where my great-grandmother is from, may in fact be darker than native French from other, more southerly places (just an idea).
Take for example another picture, which I did not pre-select in any way, from a religious procession in my great-grandmother's town. I have embedded the picture and linked to the website below in which it appears. Now, take a look at these 30-50 people in this photo. Not a blond hair in sight, even medium brown hair is spotted only on a couple of heads (one of the more obvious lighter brown ones being the teacher walking with the children in the front of the picture).62973
The rest are dark brown, some approaching black. And this is from a small French town in the sparsely populated interior from 60 years ago - so I think it is safe to say this is a random and fair representation of what native French in this area look like. They definitely tend toward the Mediterranean and in my opinion the ratio of dark brown to light hair is a on a ratio consistent with southern Spain, southern Italy, or Greece. They appear (just in my opinion) on average darker than Lombards, and most others in Northern Italy.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creuse_(d%C3%A9partement)
So what do we think of the French? How can we learn more? Have their mean large scale genetic studies of French from various regions? This seems underreported, and the French seem underrepresented given that they are the biggest nation in terms of land Mass in western Europe, have a central figure in European history and France has historically been at the crossroads of lots of different types of influences.
I'll try and find a picture of my great-grandmother if I can.