Roman horses

[Arthes]

As for human sizes, it is generally thought to be a myth that people were smaller in the distant past than they are now. Analysis of Roman-period cemeteries suggests that the male population was little different in average height to the recent past, although the British population has allegedly started to get bigger in the last few decades for some unknown reason.

Caballo pointed out in another thread that recent southern Italian male sizes don't seem to be much different at all to, for example, the Herculaneum or Pompeii remains.

I need to rethink that whole armour size thing :?

But, I'm sure I've read reports that put the average in ancient Europe as smaller. I've posted links here on RAT. :? ?

The average height of a male Viking was around 5'7" to 5'8" I think, with the female being around 5'4" which is virtually the same as the modern average height over here...
During the Middle Ages, people were definitely shorter, possibly due to the Feudel system imposed by the Normans and the taking of the woodlands and forests by Royalty and landowners, leaving the ordinary folk without the ability to hunt or collect extra fruit, roots and berries etc .
That combined with taxes in the form of livestock or harvests probably had an impact on succesive generations, who would have been malnourished in comparison.
Those drawings you see of Medieval workers with bowed backs were not simply to show their humbleness, many did actually did suffer from curviture of the spine and that would also give the impression of a smaller height..
The Black Death in the mid 14th century was probably not helped by the malnourishment and insanitry conditions that the town and city folk were living in either..
I don't know how much genetics would have influenced the height changes....the Normans having Norse blood would not have been that short, although the Bretons may have averaged slightly shorter...maybe the tall Gauls and others had already left for better climes, leaving the shorties behind.... :lol:
Intrestingly, In my family, four succesive female generations have increased by around an inch in height....
regards
Arthes