The Height of Ancient Peoples?

[Paullus]

Can anyone enlighten me on the size of people in Roman times? I heard that the average Roman was 5 feet 7 inches, and that Celts/Germans were roughly 6 feet. What does the anthropological evidence say? <p></p><i></i>

[Carlton Bach]

You mean Roman men, right? That could be about right, looking at the sizes of surviving equipment. I don't know whether any representative studies of large numbers of skeletal finds were made (that might be hard, given that most Romans were cremated up to the 3rd century). For what it's worth, the Reepsholt tunic - probably Gallo-Roman in origin - seems to be designed for a man of around 6 feet. Looking at shoe sizes, surviving caliga soles certainly indicate feet well in modern ranges.<br>
<br>
Of course, there is Vegetius' famous quote (6 feet Roman - 176 cm - as the required minimum size in the 'old' army), but I wonder what to make of that. Given that is the aerage size of adult male skeletons from the Viking-era Hedeby excavation I have my doubts.<br>
<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Praefectusclassis]

When I see surviving Roman helmets, I always wonder how small their heads must have been. They seem seldom designed for big heads. <p>Greets<br>
<br>
Jasper</p><i></i>

[Theodosius the Great]

Quote:</em></strong><hr>I don't know whether any representative studies of large numbers of skeletal finds were made (that might be hard, given that most Romans were cremated up to the 3rd century).<hr><br>
<br>
What about the bodies found in Pompeii ? <p></p><i></i>

[Vadormarius]

I've read in Southern and Dixon's book on the Late Roman Army that the requirement was lowered to 5'7" (Roman) in the year 367. They've sourced the Theodosian Code for that information. I suspect that this would be the average height or less, as an army in a pinch wouldn't exclude large portions of potential members from service if they were otherwise qualified. An army can be picky in peace but not in war, just after a large war, or in the buildup for a war. <p></p><i></i>

[L C Cinna]

I read that people in the middle ages were generally smaller than people in the ancient world (common mistake made here by the majority of people thinking that humans always got taller). The size of the average German for example decreased during late antiquity and the (bad) conditions during the middle ages and started to rise again later.<br>
<br>
Reasons might be climate, food, general conditions of living for the majority of the population a.s.o. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Ave Paullus,<br>
<br>
At hand I have the book _London Bodies: The Changing Shape of Londoners from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day_, compiled by Alex Weiner, Museum of London, 1998. Caveat, this just applies to London exhumations. They have a chart of average heights of Londoners over time but the results are at least something to go on:<br>
<br>
Prehistory - Men, 5'7"/170cm Women, 5'2 1/4"/158cm<br>
Roman - Men, 5'6 3/4"/169cm Women, 5'2 1/4"/158cm<br>
Saxon - Men, 5'8"/173cm Women, 5'4 1/4"/163cm<br>
Medieval - Men, 5'7 1/2"/172cm Women, 5'3"/160cm<br>
Tudor/Stuart - Men, 5'7 1/2"/172cm Women, 5'2 1/4"/158cm<br>
Georgian - Men, 5'7 1/4"/171cm Women, 5'1 3/4"/157cm<br>
Victorian - Men, 5'5 1/2"/166cm Women, 5'1 1/4/156cm<br>
1998 - Men, 5'9"/175cm Women, 5'3 3/4"/162cm<br>
<br>
There's a dip in height from prehistory to the Roman period and then a jump up during the Saxon period. Its all down hill from there with the lowest ebb during the Victorian era and then with a big jump back up during the present day.<br>
<br>
Hope this is a help,<br>
<br>
Gaius Septimus Lucianus <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p200.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showUserPublicProfile?gid=gaiusseptimuslucianus>Gaius Septimus Lucianus</A> at: 1/13/05 4:07 am<br></i>

[Anonymous]

wasn't there a skeleton found in a well of a Roman legionary standing well over 6 feet tall? <p></p><i></i>

[Praefectusclassis]

Yup, that was in Velsen, The Netherlands. A skeleton of probably a Roman soldier was found in a well in the very early Imperial Roman fort. It was of a powerfully built man of 1,90m (6'4") tall. <p>Greets<br>
<br>
Jasper</p><i></i>

[Chariovalda]

<br>
You might want to take a look at this article:<br>
<br>
www.eh.net/XIIICongress/P...Koepke.pdf<br>
<br>
Height is apparently mainly linked to nutrition, and would therefore vary considerably according to time and place <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Thanks for post this. I look forward to having a chance to read it this weekend.<br>
<br>
Gaius <p></p><i></i>

[Paullus]

Thanks guys! Great article, I downloaded it and will check it over<br>
<br>
A 6'4 legionnaire? Dude, wonder how big his scutum was LOL <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

According to Kristian Kristiansen "Europe before History" celtic warriors were part of a ruling class that were on average about 10 cms taller than normal celtic people and they would be the large barbarians described by ancient Greek and Roman writers <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Height is associated with nutrition. I remember having a conversation about this with a friend who learnt this in nursing school. Last week my anthropology teacher was discussing this topic as well and said that height was not a steady progression through time from short to taller. From what I've gathered from all of this plus some anthropological sites I've checked out, is that it is largely dependent on time and place. Race, familial genetics, and nutrition all play their parts in determining a person's height. <p></p><i></i>