Mummy of Ramses II, displaying the pharaoh's aquiline nose

Illustration for "Aquiline or Roman Nose" from Notes on Noses

An Aquiline nose (also called Roman nose, hook nose or beak nose) is a human nose with a prominent bridge, giving it the appearance of being curved or slightly bent. The word aquiline comes from the Latin word aquilinus ("eagle-like"), a reference to the curved beak of an eagle. It is common in Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern men and women.

[edit] Occurrences

Aquiline nose's size and curvature can exist as this is a visual feature.

In Crania Americana Samuel George Morton (1799-1851) had divided humankind primarily into four races, each distinguished by certain physical characteristics. Of Native Americans, he wrote that they were "marked by a brown complexion; long, black, lank hair; and deficient beard. The eyes are black and deep set, the brow low, the cheekbones high, the nose large and aquiline, the mouth large, and the lips tumid and compressed". Other ethnic groups said to have aquiline noses were the Shagia (Africa), the Abipones (South America), and the Kabbabish (Africa).

In the East, Buddha is sometimes portrayed with an aquiline nose. Buddharupa is the Sanskrit term used in Buddhism for these statues or models. Despite cultural and regional differences in the interpretations of texts about the life of Buddha, there are some general guidelines to the attributes of a Buddharupa. One of these is that the Buddha has a long, aquiline nose.

[edit] See also

• Human physical appearance