Anthropological variables as economic indicators.

Anthropological studies of human populations are traditionally aimed at identifying the relative contributions of the genetic, physiological and cultural mechanisms underlying the geographical micro-differentiation and adaptation of populations to the different environments in which they live. According to this approach, all anthropological variables are subjected to environmental pressures and can present variations of their frequencies among different populations. Some of them are of particular interest since, despite a strong genetic component, they show greater eco-sensitivity than others. Their variability in the passage from one generation to another is interpreted as phenotypically influenced by the environment in which the individuals grow. Some examples are stature, weight, and the timing and modes of pubertal development. The literature produced in regard to this issue is extensive and it is, mainly, the result of studies on conscripts series, in the case of stature, and field research projects conducted on single populations that refer to a specific moment or to limited periods of time (Baynouna et al., 2009; Jacobs & Tassenaar, 2004; Malina et al., 2010; Ji & Chen, 2008; Webb et al., 2008; Stock & Migliano, 2009). Thus, the evaluation of the biological history of most populations in relation to their ecological contexts is prevented, except in the case of the studies on conscripts series. The contemporary interest of both economists and demographers in the analysis of anthropometric data, namely of height, for the reconstruction of socioeconomic trends in Countries and/or periods lacking of any other kind of informative source, highlighted new possible insights in anthropological studies conducted by utilizing, not only stature, but all body measurements. This is due to the methodological introduction of analysing the data by age cohorts, generally 5 or 10 years age classes, that allows splitting the samples in several generations, thus following the evolution of body dimensions in several generations. It is within this context that the Italian Institute of Anthropology (www.isita-org.com) promoted a research project aimed at the recovery and digitization of anthropometric data collected by Italian anthropologists in many surveys conducted worldwide during the 20th century. The ultimate goal of the project is to contribute to the reconstruction of the biological history of these populations through estimates of the variations in space, namely microgeographic differentiation, and in time, namely the secular trend, of several anthropological parameters.