العرق المتوسطي أو العنصر الأبيض الأوسطي أو العنصر الأبيض المتوسطي هو تصنيف نسبة لحوض البحر الأبيض المتوسط كان أحد الفئات الفرعية الثلاث التي قسم علماء الأنثروبيولوجيا العرق القوقازي وسكان أوروبا إليها في أواخر القرن التاسع عشر وأوائل القرن العشرين. ووفقاً لكتاب أعراق أوروبا "The Races of Europe" للأكاديمي الأمريكي وليام زد ريبلي "William Z. Ripley".
ويعتقد أن العرق المتوسطي انتشر في أوروبا الجنوبية وأجزاء من شرقي أوروبا وشمال أفريقيا وغرب آسيا و شمال الهند.[1] كذلك أجزاء من ويلز وإنجلترا واسكتلندا وآيرلندا.[2] وتميز بقصر وتوسط القامة وجمجمة معتدلة الحجم، شعر داكن، عيون داكنة وبشرة برونزية.
مراجع
- The Races of Europe by Carlton Stevens Coon. From Chapter XI: The Mediterranean World - Introduction: "This third racial zone stretches from Spain across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco, and thence along the southern Mediterranean shores into Arabia, East Africa, Mesopotamia, and the Persian highlands; and across Afghanistan into India." نسخة محفوظة 26 يوليو 2011 على موقع واي باك مشين.
- The Races of Europe by Carlton Stevens Coon. From Chapter X: The British Isles: "The Neolithic economy was probably first brought to Britain by the bearers of the Windmill Hill culture from the Continent, and they in turn were members of the group which had invaded western Europe from North Africa by way of Gibraltar. The racial type to which these Windmill Hill people presumably belonged was a small Mediterranean, but there is little or no direct skeletal evidence from England to confirm this. By far the most important Neolithic movement into Great Britain, and into Ireland as well, came by sea from the eastern Mediterranean lands, using Spain as a halting point on the way. It was this invasion which passed up the Irish Channel to western and northern Scotland, and around to Denmark and Sweden. The settlers who came by sea were the Megalithic people, and belonged to a clearly differentiated variety of tall, extremely long-headed Mediterranean, which was presumably for the most part brunet. This racial group furnished both Great Britain and Ireland, which consisted, before their arrival, of nearly empty land, with a numerous and civilized population which has left many descendants today." نسخة محفوظة 26 يوليو 2011 على موقع واي باك مشين.