Egon Freiherr von Eickstedt

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Egon Freiherr von Eickstedt (1892-1965) was a German physical anthropologist who classified humanity into races around the 19th century.

[edit] Four major European races

In his book, Rassenkunde und Rassengeschichte der Menschheit (Ethnology and the Race History of Mankind) he agreed somewhat with anthropologist William Z. Ripley, but claimed Europeans have four basic racial types:Nordics who lived in Northern Europe, Osteurpids who lived in eastern and central Europe, Alpines who lived in the mountainous belt that stretched from western to eastern Europe, and Meditterranean who stretched from Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent.^[1]

Unlike Ripley he divided these major European races into subraces. Nordics in Northern Europe have three subraces. Nordics are divided into the Teuto-Nordic subrace in the west, the Dalo-Nordic in the center and the Fenno-Nordic in the east. Eickstedt regarded the Teuto-Nordic as the purest Nordic racial type. The Dalo-Nordic he believed were mixed with Cro-Magnons. The Alpine race is divided into four subraces. The Alpine subrace in western Europe, the Dinarics in eastern Europe, Armenoids in Southwest Asia and Turanids in Central Asia. The Mediterranean race has three subraces. The Mediterranean subrace in the Northern Africa, the Orientalid subrace in the Middle East and the Indid subrace in the Indian Subcontinent.

Eickstedt believed some of the European subraces were progressive and others were primitive. He believed the primitive Alpine subrace had ceased evolving, but the progressive Dinaric subrace would keep evolving.

Eickstedt believed the races of Europe originated south of Europe in the Mesolithic Era. The Mediterranean race arrived in Europe during Mesolithic times. The Alpine race arrived from eastern Europe across Switzerland shortly after the Mediterranean race, but still in Mesolithic times. Later, the Nordic race entered Scandinavia from the east. In modern times, the Osteourpids entered eastern and central Europe.

[edit] Four Major European races map

Racial classification of Europeans by the 20th century anthropologist Egon Freiherr von Eickstedt from his book Ethnology and the Race History of Mankind.

Alpine race Osteuropid race Nordic race Mediterranean race

[edit] References

1. ^ Coon, Carleton S. The Races of Europe. Racial Classification within the White Family. August 10 2006. <http://www.snpa.nordish.net/chapter-VIII6.htm>.