THE RACIAL GEOGRAPHY OF EUROPE. 



731 



iarities of modern origin ; certainly not their stature, at all events. 

 For Strabo tells us that the Romans were accustomed to recruit 

 their legions here because of the massive physique of the people. 



In order to make the reality of this curious patch more ap- 

 parent, we have reproduced in our small map on this page a bit 

 of the country in detail. It shows how suddenly the head form 

 changes at the crest of the Apennines as we pass from the Po 

 valley to the coast strip of Liguria. As we leave the river and 

 rise slowly across Emilia toward the mountain range the heads 



LONG HEADS 



gradually become less purely Alpine: and then suddenly as we 

 cross the watershed we step into an entirely different population. 

 On the southern edge this little spot of Mediterranean long- 

 headedness terminates with almost equal sharpness, although geo- 

 graphical features remain quite uniform. This eliminates envi- 

 ronment as an explanation for the phenomenon ; we must seek 

 the cause elsewhere. 



All sorts of explanations for the peculiarities of this ethnic 

 spot about Lucca have been presented. Lombroso, who first dis- 

 covered its tall stature, inclines to the belief that here is a last 

 relic of the ancient and long-extinct Etruscan people penned in 



