Environment/Climate

Ancient Sources
The ancient writer Vitruvius believed that men of northern climates were more inclined to feats of arms and strength but lacked in their reasoning and wits, while those of the southern climates were more intelligent and quick-witted, but not as physically strong as their northern counterparts. Vitruvius seems to have used this in order to come to the conclusion that the Romans were the superior people, stating that:

“...the truly perfect territory, situated under the middle of the heaven, and having on each side the entire extent of the world and its countries, is that which is occupied by the Roman people. In fact, the races of Italy are the most perfectly constituted in both respects - in bodily form and in mental activity to correspond to their valour."

There seem to be Ancient Greek authors as well who, seeking to explain the differences between their own people and the Persians and use these differences as an explanation for the victory of the Greeks over their Persian rivals, posited that it was the differing environments of Europe and Asia which resulted in not only different cultures but significant ethnic differences as well.

The ancient medical writer Galen was significantly influenced by the book Airs, Waters, and Places by the Greek writer Hippocrates, and quotes Hippocrates as saying “courage, tenacity, energy, and will-power could not develop under such natural conditions...either among the locals or among immigrants, but pleasure must dominate.”. It seems that environment and climate not only influenced the indigenous peoples but, according to Hippocrates, also immigrants to that area as well. The belief in antiquity at times was, it seems, that the climate in which one lived would have an effect on those living there. When comparing Hippocrates and Vitruvius, it seems that many believed colder climates resulted in physical prowess but a lack of mental acuity, while warmer climates resulted in the opposite. Strabo also held the belief that “..in a country that is blessed by nature everything tends to peace, in a disagreeable country everything tends to make men warlike and courageous…”, and used this to reinforce the idea that since the Romans, Greeks, and Macedonians came from climates which were more temperate than the other cultures they came into contact with, they were the superior people as they were able to blend physical prowess and mental acuity in a manner which other ethnicities could not.

Modern Literature
Benjamin Isaac asserts that the modern belief of those such as 18th Century race theorist Georges-Louis Buffon, who stated that “Ever since man began to settle under different skies and to move out of one climate into another, his nature has undergone changes…”. Isaac thought these beliefs and ideas to have roots in Greco-Roman antiquity with author such as Polybius, who according to Isaac, “Explicitly says that climate determines the physical features, characteristics, and color of the entire peoples.”