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The Alpine is to the great extent intermingled with other races in Western Europe; therefore, its characteristics in pure form are bit precarious. However, the characteristics of the Alpine race should be the following:

1. Orthocrany, with medium cranial length and breadth. Brachycephaly but without occipital flatness.

2. Europrosopy (morphological index about 83), due mainly to its small facial height.

3. Short nasal height, with nasal index of about 65 (on skeletons 50).

4. Compact body (medium stature, broad chest, thick bones).

5. Excessive hair growth (bald-headed people are rare).

6. Brown hair and light eye color.

   The Baltic race resembles, of course, its relative race, the Alpine, but it has:

1. Smaller cranial dimensions (but again with an orthocranic index)

2. A thinner nose (nasal cranial index 49), with a concave profile.

3. Light hair and eyes (particularly the iris of this race is considered the bluest of Europe).

4. Weaker face, and head hair growth.

   Generally, the Periactic stock (Nordic and Mediterranean) combines dolichocephaly with leptoprosopy, while the Continental (Alpine and Baltic) combines brachycephaly with euryprosopy. Thus, if we exclude the Dinaric race (which entered Europe in later years), we ascertain the linkage of, on the one hand, the long skull with long face and on the other, of a round skull with a round face. Thus the aesthetic appreciation that the Europeans have for the combination of these characteristics is understandable. Indeed, Haddon had first discerned these combinations, which he called harmonic, compared to other combinations, such as europrosopy – dolichocrany of Eskimos or leptoprosopy-brachycephaly of Dinarics, which he called disharmonic.

   Over time there were some slight developments in the main characteristics of the European races, as well as various interbreeding. Every nation considers as an ideal beauty his or her typical racial physiognomy. As Plutarch notes the Armenoid Persians considered the hooked nose beautiful.

 Recently, according to the new research on DNA we have verified that human races do indeed differ genetically-even though some politicians claim the opposite. The “THO1” DNA-index, which Stanford University has studied, is now a new tool, since it offers proof of genetic differentiation between the people of Europe.

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     Spiritual Characteristics

   In order to conclude this general description of the European races, I need to say a few words about their psychic characteristics, since it is known that racial differentiation extends not only to physical characteristics, but also to psychic ones. As Plato notes, “no two persons are born exactly alike, but each differ from each in natural endowments”; thus, in communities there is a perspective differentiation of characters and morals. I will touch upon a few elements from the field of racial psychology.

   Whatever relationship has been noted between Nordics and Mediterraneans in the physical sector. I have touched upon the same point where I wrote about Constitutional psychology. The German psychologist H. Burkhard also mentions that, “the morphological similarities between the Northern and the Mediterranean race are clearly proved”. He also points out that both races are characterized by intellectualism and by an excessive consciousness of the ego, which breeds an excessive individualism and an intense sense of property. According to Burkhard, the consciousness of the ego is more powerful in the Nordic race, a fact which in turn causes internal isolation and independence, a high degree of introversion and endurance to loneliness. This trait gives the Nordic “the talent of the explorer, who goes into unknown places”, as Mc Duggal notes. This talent is also intensified by his technical skills. Lenz also attributes the technical inclination of the Nordic to his well-developed optical perception and to his ability to perceive the space and movement. According to Burkhardt, “the Nordic lives in an intense conflict between the internal and the external world, the subject and the object”. Thus, Burkhardt continues, “from this nucleus of personality, the thought and the will of the Nordic, springs out of the external world that he tries to shape in accordance with his internal picture. The dynamic course of this manifestation is perceived by the distance between the ego and the external world”.

   The Nordic, with his intense intellectualism, is distinguished by his great caution, contemplation and his methodical nature. Thus, he has a talent for the physical and technical sciences.

   This strict attachment of the Nordic, though, to his ego results in a series of disadvantageous. “When he finds himself in a place in which he does not known if his relations are controlled and certified, he always feels alienated and restrained. Nordic cannot adapt easily to the environment. He is also characterized by a rigid obstinacy, the famous German “Sturheit”. On the other hand, Burkhardt insists that the Nordic “distrusts the feelings and pains which spring out from the deep impersonal psychic strata of his psyche or of the psyche of the others”. About this indifference of the Nordic toward his fellow human beings, Burkhardt notes that “generally identification with his fellow human beings is of little importance to the psychic life of the Nordic. Any fellow human being with whom he does not have any particular internal link is of little significance to him in compassion to what nature means for him”.

   Furthermore, the Nordic “is at disadvantage as far as his verbal expression is concerned, and he is particularly weak in thought processes other than reason, to the purely conceptual and dialectic, [while] feelings of magic and ecstasy are usually alien to him”. Thus, the Nordic lacks psychic uplifts, artistic feelings and cannot go beyond natural philosophy. He lives more with logic and less with experiences.

   On the contrary, the Mediterranean race expresses his intellectuality not so much in method and organization, but in his very high intelligence. Having also a stronger awareness of ego than the Nordic, the Mediterranean does not juxtapose his Ego to the environment, but tries with his intelligence to achieve a compromise. “One notable difference between the Nordic and the Mediterranean is that the latter’s inclination is toward grace and agility. The awareness of his Ego is quite strong and intense, but it is conceived as a shape that can be easily changed and adapted harmoniously to the environment. With grace and simplicity he takes positions analogous to the given circumstances. One basic characteristic of this race is its quick perception combined with spontaneity (a combination of sensori-motori). It is worth remembering the speeches made by the Roman senator recorded in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri about the Greeks: Non-aligned, rebellious, arbitrary, but truthfully free is the Ego of the Hellenes. Thanks to that, their relation with the universe, with things, and with people does not grown stale, but is fresh and new, and everything thanks to this Ego, is presented as new, first-revealed to their psyche…This hypertrophy of their personality has its good side; its bad side is called egocentricity. The good side is creative in philosophy, poetry, the arts, sciences and even in trade and war. From this positive side of egocentricity springs all the glory of the Hellenes”.

   Egocentricity, however, constitutes the negative aspect of the Mediterranean temperament, an aspect that is fully described by the same papyri: “Egocentricity takes away the Hellene’s ability to be fair. He is his fellow human being. The passion of egoism prevents him from dealing with another, to collaborate with him. Because of the lack of solidarity in Hellenic societies, all common attempts are thwarted. The action of the Hellenes is destroyed in individual attempts which very often clash and eliminate each other”.

   According to the German psychologist E. Jens, people are divided into two categories, the fulfilled and the unfulfilled. The former, having the Mediterranean as representatives, have all their psychic faculties in joint; therefore, their personality is whole and in close relation to the environment. The later, with the Nordics as typical representatives, have their psychic faculties out of joint, and a weak connection with their psychic faculties is disproportionate. Thus, according to Jens, the energy of the Nordics is best directed to the service of specific purposes. As Burckhardt notes, the races which aspire towards the ideal “have a specific wealth of hereditary traits, acute flexibility and do not live only within the limits of narrow specified environment”. The advantage of the Mediterranean in this are is obvious. That is why, the Nordic, with his lack of adaptability to his environment and with his slow reactions, is characterized by the Mediterranean as “dullfrank”. For the Western Celts (a mixture then of the Nordics and the Alpics) Strabo notes that, “very arrogant they are and foolish” and “they can be handled easily by those who want to infringe them”.

   As I have already indicated about constitutional psychology, the Mediterranean race possesses a spiritual equilibrium. Aristotle noted, “the Hellenic nation is characterized by both sensibility and intellectuality”. The Mediterranean race is also superior to the Nordic one in the conception of abstract ideas and in the richness of feelings, which is one reason why the Mediterranean race was always the pioneer in spirit and fine arts in Europe. But it certainly has a disadvantage its lack of social co-operation and solidarity.

   According to the psychologist Burkhardt, the Alpine race is characterized by a weak and superficial awareness of the ego which stays, in a way, constantly to the phase of trials and reactions. Thus, the Alpine type aims easily towards approach and mistrust at the same time. The Alpine type is extroverted and cyclothymic, adapting and manipulating its environment to the best of his interest.

   The so-called Faelic type is found in northwestern Germany and is far stouter than the Nordic, does not form a branch of this race, but is a mixed Alpine-Nordic. This type, according to Burkhardt, corresponds to Kretchmer’s ‘athletic type’, and is the most athletic of the Nordics, but not a distinct race. L.F.Clauss, however, pointing out a serious psychic distinction between the Nordic and the Faelic race-notes an ‘antithesis’-that indicates a racial differentiation. As it is shown the constitutional psychology, the mixed type of Northern-Alpine is indeed very athletic (Mesomorphy 4,84) with excessive energy (daring, resistance to pain, extroversion). Burkhardt moreover accepts that “usually in the Northern populations a compact participation is presented”, and that “in such Faelic people with compact characteristics, the happy side of their being is usually far more developed”.  The happy side, though, means gluttony which is not a Nordic characteristic.

   Racial admixture is often discovered with psychological or psychiatric traits. Germany, for example, has a different racial composition-as we shall see later on- by area. Waehler has indicated such an admixture in Thüringen, Sieber in Sachsen, etc. Furthermore, Lundman notes that in Northern Germany schizophrenia is far more common, while in Southern Germany mania-depression psychosis is common. It is well known that the former disease is characteristic of the Nordic race, while the latter of the Alpine.

   Burkhardt notes of the Baltic race that “in spite of its light colors, it differs completely from the Nordic race”. Psychically speaking it resembles its relative Alpine race. Its insecure self-awareness pushes it to the admixture of all limits and shapes, while it is characterized by resistance to pain and suffering and by its ability to learn.

   Finally, the Dinaric race resembles somewhat the Nordic from the psychic point of view, while it is the exact opposite of the Mediterranean in that it aims toward some kind of stiffness and fanaticism and is distinguished by the seriousness of its expression and outlook. Burkhardt writes that, “a Dinaric trait can be considered a somewhat psychic hardness that has something cruel and wild in it”, and he adds, that “while the Mediterranean race is characterized by a certain refinement, tact, we could attribute to the Dinaric mentality an inclination to cruelty”.