Question about the Italian race, and their origin?

Question

I would like to know if Italians have blood of other races if so from where? According to history some parts of Italy were occupied and leave me thinking why some of us have olive-skin jet black hair, and so on

Answer 1

Italian's aren't actually a "race". Italian is a nationality, but they descend from the former Roman empire. The Empire was massive and stretched from England to the far reaches of the Middle East and northern Africa. Citizens of the Empire were free to come and go from the Italian peninsula. Turks and Greeks invaded here and there and the empire of Austria-Hungary was a frequent bother. So there is no such thing as "pure" Italian blood, but there is a variety of ethnic groups who have settled in different regions of the country. Those to the north are traditionally lighter in coloring and they get darker the farther south they go. By the time you get to Sicily, where there have been frequent African influences, you're looking at darker skin, olive complexions and dark hair/eyes. Keep in mind that Italy didn't even unify until the end of the 19th century...and it wasn't the smoothest unification in history.

Answer 2

The area currently occupied by Italy has seen genetic influence from a number of ethnic groups. Probably the most significant are::
* The early Italian tribes (eg the Latins, Etruscans etc) - many of whom possibly originated in Asia Minor.
* Greek (especially around the south-east and the heel of the boot - in pre-Roman times these were Greek colonies, after the fall of Rome they came under Byzantine control)
* Germanic (especially in the north - Northern Italy belonged to the Lombards and Goths in late Roman and early medieval times, there was considerable interaction with Franks and other German peoples under the Holy Roman Empire and Austro-Hungarian rule would have brought more German influence later).
* Arab / North African (modern Tunisia was a long-standing Roman province with strong ties to Rome, later, in the medieval period, the saracens controlled Sicily and the south)
* Normans (ie viking descendants) who took Sicily and the South off the Arabs in the middle ages.
* Gallic (the French and Italian gene pools have fairly similar influences and a long history of interaction)

Italy has regularly been the cultural hub of Europe, especially under the Roman Empire and in the late medieval period when Venice and Genoa were the centres of commerce and, especially, of commerce between Europe and the Middle East. These periods would have brought a range of genetic influences to Italy, in addition to spreading Italian genes far field.

Answer 3

Lol i'm from Europe. Italians are seen White over right here yet in addition Latin-no longer Latino. So interior the comparable way that a Danish individual could be seen Scandinavean (yet nevertheless White) or an English individual could be seen Anglo Saxon (yet nevertheless White), Italians are seen Latin (yet nevertheless White.) Latin does no longer propose Non-White in Europe like it does in united states.

Answer 4

Being Italian is not a race, its a nationality, and Italians are white. There are only 3 true races, *******, Mongoloid, and Caucasoid. As for the Italian origin, they're Europeans that trace back directly to the Roman Empire.

Answer 5

Plus, after the collapse of the Roman Empire the Goths and Visigoths, who were Germanic tribes, set up in northern Italy.

Answer 6

Did you ever see True Romance? It's all explained in that movie by Dennis Hopper to Christopher Walken.

Answer 7

I am sorry, but I am clueless as it is about Italy and Italians. But they do make a VERY cool movie. E.G.- The Godfather..the second was the best!