The Armenian Profile

Most ethnic groups in the world have certain physical traits that are quickly identifiable by outsiders.  Armenians, however, are a very diverse group of people, making it difficult for most stereotypical categorizations.  Although the majority have dark hair, there are a significant minority with lighter hair, even those as blonde as seen in Northern Europe.  Further, there's a great deal of variability in body type, from short to tall, fat to thin, and everything in between. It's quite a shock to realize that all these physically diverse people share the same cultural heritage and identify within the same ethno-linguistic group.  Often within the same family, there is such a physical difference that it's hard to conclude a common origin.  Even body hair is much more variable than I had expected.  Sure, as a rule, Armenians in general are more pileous than most non-Mediterranean/West Asian peoples, but there's still a great deal of variability in the degree and magnitude.  Yet, there is one major exception to all this.  Much has been written about the Armenian nose, but very little of that is an exaggeration.  We truly are a people with characteristic noses.  Truth be told, there is a great deal of variation in even this feature, but what ties most Armenians together is that the defining characteristic of their faces are their noses.  Especially noticeable in profile, nature didn't think there was a limit towards experimenting with whimsical projections of flesh and cartilage.  Something this unique, anywhere else would stand out quite strikingly, but when it's so ubiquitous, it becomes practically normal.  

As an example, here's a humble, crudely pieced together comparison of my profile, along with that of the greatest king Armenia's every known:  Tigran the Great.  It's in no way an arrogant personal reflection, but is made to show that nearly 2100 years and countless numbers of foreign invaders weren't enough to deter this particular physical trait. 

Sure, the angle's a bit different, but as can be seen, noses are our national landmark.  They should be protected under UNESCO world heritage conservation.  It's a defining national characteristic.  I guess we should look forward to another 2100 years of nasal dominance.