Was this how the Ancient Romans looked like?

Question

The album cover in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouQNjgaBTPk&feature=related

Most Italians today I see look Arabic to me. Wasn't the Arabs that came to Italy and later mixed with the Latin Roman people to become the Italians of today?

Answer 1

The painting is by an Italian artist, so the subject looks 16th century Italian, Ancient Romans where as varied as Americans are today, your question is prejudicial, many Romans were brought to Rome from all over the ancient world, and even the founders of Rome (Romulus and Remus) were probably not from that area - the story varies, but generally they were abandoned or orphaned by traveling parents, and then raised by a she-wolf. Everyone else in Rome moved there.

Answer 2

no, the ancient Romans were quite light in skin color and most took care to shave (as only barbarians had facial hair)

Answer 3

Isaac,

Here's a site that gives a good insight on Sicily and it's history.

http://www.gentracer.com/history.html

PJ M

Answer 4

yes

Answer 5

Italians don't look like Arabs. Arabs have very distinct facial features and Italians, no matter how dark they are (look at Sicily), don't share those features.

Answer 6

We know what ancient Romans looked like.  We have very good portraits of them.  Of course, the statues were idealized versions, but they were still taken from life.   Here's a site that offers reproductions of those busts for sale.

http://www.statue.com/itemdesc.asp?CartI...

Answer 7

I think that is supposed to be a picture of The Apostle Paul, and he was jewish.

Answer 8

Italians are dark haired and darked eyed but their skin is usually much lighter than Arabic people. They also usually  have a much more Latin face structure. So I think they would have looked more like the man on the cover than, than an Arabic person.