Before the arrival of the first peoples, the Baltic coast was covered with a huge ice cap, which receded to the north for more than 7 thousand years.
According to scientific hypotheses, most of this territory was freed from ice in 8300 BC. e. As a result of the glacier melting in wild and uninhabited places, tundra and northern forest-steppes with the most hardy animals appeared: mammoths, rhinos, deer, beavers ...
Following them, a hunter man appeared in these places.
Ancestors of the Baltids
First they came to the Eastern Baltic after the deer. It was about 7000 BC.
Deer hunters came from European regions and already had an established diverse culture. Archaeological research confirms this.
In the same years, people began to get used to a settled way of life, they had no need to follow herds of animals, since deer and other animals were full, the climate was warm enough for life and the development of the Baltic coasts.
Gradually, hunters turned into fishermen, new fishing tools appeared: from silicon and oak.
The new culture that has arisen is called Maglemosekultur, the culture of the western Baltic, and Kunda, the culture of the east.
People of this time settled along rivers and lakes, lived in thatched houses or huts. These were the descendants of the Cro-Magnons, who again settled Northern Europe after the glacier melted.
The division of the Baltic tribes
Ancient historical sources called them Aestia Aists.
They settled on the vast expanses of Eastern Europe from the Baltic coast to the Lower Don basin.
The ancient Russian annals brought the names of a number of individual Baltic tribes: Lithuania, Zhmud, Yotvag, Kors, Prussians, etc.
According to historical dialectology, already at the end of the II millennium BC. e. these peoples were divided into three large groups according to dialect and tribal characteristics:
- western baltide;
- median;
- Dnieper.
The last group from the above list, according to the opinion of the famous archaeologist, doctor of historical sciences V.V. Sedov, is represented by various archaeological cultures: Tushemlinsky, Kolochinsky and Moschinsky. From the sixth century, the Slavization of the Dnieper Baltids began to take place in connection with the penetration of Slavs into their territory, the final mixture occurred in the XIII century.
The process resembled the natural combination of forest and dunes, as in the photo below.
Western Baltid: common symptoms
To determine why a person is remarkable in terms of race and anthropological research, first of all, they study the skull box (in ancient burials). This metric is called the cephalic index.
- According to the cephalic index, the western baltis is a type of sub-brachycephalus. To clarify the anthropological term "brachycephaly" (brachycephaly), we note: there are three types of human head shape - brachi-, meso-, dolichokephals. The indicator is calculated in the ratio of the width of the head to the maximum length. For example, the dolichocephalic index is 75 percent or lower, if you look at such a head from above, it is visually elongated along the central axis.
- If the index is more than 80%, then this is brachycephaly: the shape of the head from above appears more round than that of the first type.
The figures below show a top view of the skull, a cephalic index is visually presented in the following order:
- dolichocephalic (a);
- mesocephalic (b);
- brachycephalic (c).
At the western baltis, the photo of a sample of the skull of the race under study is the far right.
Face shape: how to determine race affiliation
A facial index or index is the next important one in the anthropological definition of race. It is defined as the ratio of the width of the cheekbones to the upper part of the face (without the lower jaw.), Expressed as a percentage.
The measurement process is as follows. The width in the cheekbones is measured with a caliper, then multiplied by 100, and the result is divided by the height of the face (from the frontal apex to the upper teeth). For example: (14 x 100): 16 = 87.5%. Such a measurement was scientifically recognized in the 19th century, the method was introduced into practice by the Swedish anatomist and naturalist Anders Adolf Retzius.
The western representative of the studied object with the facial index: mesoproscopy (84 - 87.9%), a square-rectangular face, with a transition to yuriproscopy (84%) - with this indicator, the face is typically wide.
What different people of the same race look like, can be seen below: in the drawings depicting faces of one western type.
Below is a photo with portraits of Latvians - typical representatives of the Western Baltic group: appearance and details of the visualization of the main signs of the race.
Vertical and horizontal: anthropometric studies
A further study of what the racial type of Baltids represents is the study of head height, which gives the following indicators.
Measurement of the ratio of the maximum size of the height of the head to its maximum width. Moreover, in anthropometry it is customary to distinguish three main indexes of the head:
- low-head type, in which the index is less than 92 mm;
- average height - the indicator ranges from 93 to 98 mm;
- high-headed type with an index of more than 98 mm.
The western baltide in the structure of the skull is high-headed. The nape is rounded, smooth.
Wherein:
- The horizontal profile (protrusion) of the face is quite strong, pronounced, with a high tolerance.
- Large angle of protrusion of the nose relative to the entire profile line.
- Straight or sinuous back of nose.
- Width - narrow or medium nose.
- The tip of the nose may be slightly raised or horizontal.
- The angle between the axes of the nasal openings is medium.
In the photo below: western and eastern types of representatives (from left to right, respectively), Estonians.
"Try a bite", or the secrets of orthognathy
Continuing an anthropological research, it should be noted that the determination of the characteristics and various typical features of any nationalities is a difficult task, loving the accuracy of characteristics and conclusions.
- The concept of the race of the Western Baltids and belonging to it does not do without studying the various indices, proportions and ratios of the parts of the head relative to each other.
- The next object of study is teeth. People of this group are characterized by orthognathia, that is, the normal structure of the teeth, when the front upper and side crowns overlap the same lower ones by one third (1/3), respectively, of the pairs.
- It was noted that the racial type of Baltids as a whole has a direct lip structure (or scientifically orthoheilia) with a thin mucous membrane.
In the photo: a typical example of a mixed appearance type - Lithuanian.
It is possible to gather additional information about the group of Baltids from objective facts contained in the features of the structure of the face.
- Medium to large tilt forehead.
- Pronounced superciliary arches.
- Jaw of medium height: wide and angular, can also be medium wide.
- Chin protruding from profile.
The human body as the most important indicator of anthropology
One of the signs of race is the tertiary hairline, that is, hair growth for men on the face and chest.
What does the western baltid look like (type of appearance)?
- Beard: medium or highly developed.
- Breast hair growth is moderate.
- Eyes: according to the scale of anthropologist and anatomist V.V. Bunak from blue to gray with all gray-blue shades.
- The hair is blond, light, or medium blond, straight.
- The skin is white, responds poorly to tanning.
- There is no fold on the upper eyelid; in the peripheral zone of the eye, the fold is medium or strong
- A typical representative is characterized by high growth.
Figuratively speaking, or a few words about the features of the figure
The type of group "Western Baltid" is tall. But not only growth indexes an indicator of belonging to a certain anthropological group.
According to the graduation of the founder of the Soviet school of anthropology Bunaki, the physique of men is divided into several types:
- pectoral - is characterized by underdeveloped muscles, a hollow belly and a flat chest, asthenicity and weak fat deposition;
- muscular - for this type of figure is characterized by medium and highly developed muscles, a straight back, a cylindrical chest;
- the abdominal type is characterized by abundant fat deposition, conical development of the chest, a convex abdomen, medium or weak muscles;
- mixed variants of combinations of body types are possible.
In the photo: the main body types, where the western Baltid under the letter "b". The figure shows the chest (a), muscular (b), abdominal (c) types of body structure.
The physique of women is divided into the following options:
- sub-athletic;
- meso-plastic;
- picnic.
As follows from the above, the types of figures of differentiated racial groups may differ characteristic only for this type of posture, strength or muscle development, the degree of fat deposition.
The final table showing how the Baltics are composed - men and women.
| Body type | Body type | The form breast | The form belly | The form backs | Fat deposition |
| men | muscular secondary developed | cylinder cheskaya | flat | straight | moderate |
| women | muscular moderate | horse cheskaya | roundly convex | stooped or normal | medium or weak |
From the beginnings to the present day
There are many methods and methods of anthropological research to accurately determine the race of a particular group of people. Each person is also interested in knowing where his roots are and who his ancestors are.
The modern person in the era of global universalization of life is even more striving for his own identification.
Therefore, sometimes it is so important to clarify your attitude to a particular race, so that at least at the end of life, but visit the land of their ancestors.
After all, no matter how scientists and adherents of one or another anthropological theory argue, the essence remains the same: we are all children of the Earth. And this is our most important, common for all, feature.