Caucasoid
Caucasoid describes humans primarily from Europe, the Middle East (western Asia), North Africa, most parts of the Indian subcontinent as well as parts of Central Asia, and was one of the four major races recognized by nineteenth century racial theories.
The Caucasoid race includes such ethnic groups as Indo-Europeans, Semites, Uralics, modern Turks, and Caucasians (from the Caucasus mountains).
There exist several subdivisions of the Caucasoid race, as classified by anthropologist Carleton S. Coon in his seminal work The Races of Europe. These subdivisions are as follows:
- Northern types
- Halstatt Nordic
- Celtic Nordic
- Borreby
- Brünn
- Anglo-Saxon
- Trønder
- Fälish
- Central types
- Eastern types
- East-Baltic
- Neo-Danubian
- Southern types
- Armenoid
- Irano-Afghan
It is important to note that these subgroupings are only geographical. Halstatt Nordics have more in common with Atlanto-Mediterranean than they do with Borrebys, which in turn have an affinity with Alpines, while Dinarics and Armenoids differ mainly in pigmentation. Celtics are a sort of intermediate between the already similar Atlanto-Mediterraneans and Nordics. Moreover while these categories are effective general indicators of appearance, they are genetically vague, so they serve only as external classifiers. Sub-races are used by more than fifty percent of anthropologists.
Genetically, the Caucasoid supspecies is considered to be part of the Eurasiatic Supercluster of human populations, a cluster that includes two major divisions: Mongoloids in the East and Caucasoids in the West. Thus, from a genetic point of view, Caucasoids are sometimes referred to as Western Eurasians while their Mongoloid brethren are referred to as Eastern Eurasians.
See also:
Categories: Physical anthropology | Race