Anthropological and genetics characterisation of the Estonians.

[Visigodo]

According to somametric traits, Estonians can be characterised as people of high stature and, correspondingly, with large measurements of the head and face. Regional differences between Estonians are determined by somatometric traits. J. Aul distinguished two main antrhropological types among the Estonians - the West-Baltic and the East-Baltic type. Both types are purely Europid according to J. Aul's estimation. They are characterised by light eyes and fair hair. The most important differences between the two types are following: the West-Baltic type is very high of stature, comparatively dolichocephalic, with a narrower and higher face. The East-Baltic type has somewhat shorter stature; it is more brachycephalic, with a comparatively wider and lower face. Both types are spread all over Estonia, but the West-Baltic type predominates in West Estonia, in the northern part of Pärnu country, in the western part of Harju counties, also in some adjacent to the parishes of Järva and Viljandi counties, while he main distribution area of the East-Baltic type is East Estonia form one side and some places in South-West Estonia from the other side. That type is also common in the neighbouring areas east of Estonia. The territories of the distribution of the East- and West-Baltic types are not isolated from one other; large overlapping areas connect them. J. Aul points out the originality of the Estonians comparing the West-Baltic type with the Skandinavian type of the Atlanto-Baltic race and the Estonian East-Baltic type with a more eastern variant even. The cephalic index is smaller that that of the Estonian West-Baltic type. Differences in the head breadth and the shape of the face are especially noticialbe; the Skandinavian type has considerably smaller head, face and and mandibula breadths than western Estonians; the face is also a little lower. The Estonian East-Baltic type has somewhat higher stature that the more eastern for of that. The East-Baltic type in South-East Estonia slightly differs also from the northern variant in Estonia. In his work J. Aul indicates a large distribution area of the East-Baltic type extending in north and south, but espacially in east direction, failing to specify the exact borders and the centre of this area.