CIPRIANI, Lidio. Bagnoa Ripoli, Florence 17.3.1892 — Florence 8.10.1962. Italian Anthropologist. Son of Cesare C., an elementary school teacher, and Pia Nannelli. Matriculated from Florence 1907, worked as schoolteacher like his farher. After voluntary army service 1915-19 studies of natural sciences at Florence. Ph.D. 1923 in Anthropology. Further studies in Paris and London. From 1926 Docente, then Professor of Anthropology at Florence. Married 1940 contessa Ada Maria Marenzi.
Cipriani was an old-fashioned anthropologist, an exponent of the anthropometric school. A committed fascist (1945-49 in prison). Fieldwork first in Africa (1927 Zulu, 1930-31 Congo, 1932 Libya), then in 1933 and 1934-35 in South India (Toda, Koḍagu, Kuruba) and Ceylon, in the late 1930s also in Somalia. In the Andamans (1954) he concentrated on Onge.
Publications: Books on biological racism in the 1930s; much on Africa.
– “Ceylon alla ricerca degli ultimi Vedda”, Universo 17, 1936, 3-31; “Case su gli alberi (Viaggio nell’India meridionale)”, Universo 17, 1936, 491-514; “Una visita ai Toda”, Universo 17, 1936, 789-815 (all three with illustrations).
– The Andaman Islanders. 12+159 p. L. 1966.
Sources: Fr. Surdich, Diz. Biogr. It. 25, 1981; Wikipedia (more in Italian version).
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