Description
Ethiopid proper, showing the most pronounced Ethiopid characters of all. Common around the Horn of Africa, in its purest form in the inland areas of Somalia and Eastern Ethiopia. Typical groups include Hawiye, Darod, Dir, but also common in Tigray-Tigrinya, Agaw, and Eastern Oromo. Sometimes in Gurage, Gonga, Amhara, Digil, and Rahanweyn, the latter groups have Bantuid admixture.
The ancient Greco-Egyptian writer Ptolemy described them as "the most beautiful humans in the world," testament to the distinctive and gracile features of this population.
Physical Traits
Height: Rather tall
Build: Ectomorph
Legs: Brachyskelic (short-legged)
Skull: Dolichocephalic
Skull height: Orthocranic
Face: Long, oval with gracile, soft features
Jaw: Very narrow
Eyes: Large
Nose: Hyperleptorrhine, high, straight or convex
Lips: Full
Occiput: Round
Prognathism: Absent
Body hair: Scarce
Skin: Dark reddish-brown
Hair texture: Curly to tight-curly
East Ethiopid represents the most pronounced expression of Ethiopid characteristics. The skin is dark reddish-brown with curly to tight-curly hair typical of the region. The stature is rather tall with a brachyskelic (short-legged) proportion and ectomorph build. The skull is dolichocephalic (long-headed) and orthocranic (medium height). The nose is hyperleptorrhine (extremely narrow) and high, either straight or convex - the narrowest of Sub-Saharan Africa. The face is long and oval with remarkably gracile, soft features. The jaw is very narrow, complemented by large eyes and full lips. Body hair is scarce, the occiput is round, and prognathism is absent. These features combine to create the distinctive appearance that has been noted throughout history.
Literature References
The East Ethiopid type has been recognized and described by various anthropologists throughout the 20th century, with some differences in interpretation regarding its classification as a separate subrace or as Ethiopid proper.
- Ptolemy (ancient) - Described them as "the most beautiful humans in the world"
- Eickstedt (1943, 1949, 1952b) - Gave the exact definition of East Ethiopid
- Baumann (1952) - Adopted Eickstedt's definition
- Heberer et al. (1969) - Adopted Eickstedt's definition
- Biasutti (1967) - Simply regarded as Ethiopid proper
- Knussmann (1996) - Regarded as Ethiopid proper
- Hooton (1946) - Considered them Mediterranid-Sudanid blends, not a separate subrace
- Lundman (1967) - Considered them Mediterranid-Sudanid blends, not a separate subrace
