Italian people

The Italians are a Western European Latin ethnic group primarily associated with Italy and the Italian language.

Physical appearance and characteristics

The Italian phenotype is European, but profoundly varied within this context. Sicilians tend to have the darkest complexions, but yet many native people with Nordic features can be found throughout the island. The peninsula contains people mainly descended from the prehistoric waves of migration from the north during the last ice age. These groups of stone-age Europeans gave rise to the indigenous Italian tribes such as the Romans and Etruscans. Later, came succesive waves of Greeks who inhibited the southern Peninsula an Sicily, they were so numerous that southern Italy became known Magna Graecia ("Greater Greece"), During Roman times many immigrants came from throughout the vast Empire, and then at least two massive waves of Germans during the medieval period. The resulting varied appearance of Italians shows that there is no typical Italian 'look' as some claim for other European countries. The shape of the Italian peninsula dictates that any land travel into the peninsula would have to come down from the main body of the European continent, which is exactly what happened during the last ice age. Later, sea travel facilitated contact and some migration around the Mediterranean. Current genetic studies are attempting to detect distinct foreign gene signatures. The results so far indicate that Italians are most closely related to their immediate European neighbors.

Related Topics:
Nordic - Etruscans - Magna Graecia - Germans - Ice age - Mediterranean

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~