People Have Been Growing

[Lacertus]

Once I visited a "World of Etruscans" exhibition. Here was many things including helmets this epoch. I noted that the helmets had mainly small size. Such helmets would unlikely use an average statistical man of our time. What happining? Have people been growing for 2500 years?

[skel]

werd people used to be small back in the day...

 

 

which leads me to another thought i had on the whole medieval army verses rome thing... the size of the soldiers in the miedieval army vs the romans...

[Lynch]

People were small even in Napoleonic times, I think the average height was around 5'2 for men. I've been to lots of museums in my travels one in France had a bunch of Napoleonic stuff, and this uniform of a French Chasseur was so tiny, it looked like it belonged on a 12 year old.

[Lost_Warrior]

Didn't it go in cycles? I mean, were humans always really short growing larger? Or were we large-short-back to large again?

 

Is there any archeological evidence of the size of the average Roman?

[Spurius]

Size depends on nutrition and genes, mostly nutrition.

Look at the rapid rise in the average size of Asians since more protein has been introduced into their standard diet. So to do a proper size comparasion, the standard diet needs to be evaluated too.

 

As far as the panoply of war, there is one interesting theory I've heard about the relative size of suits and uniforms. Until fairly recently in the gunpowder era, the bigger you were the better you were at fighting. The small suits were left by men who weren't as sucessful at battle and thus avoided it. By avoiding the fight, their equipment survived at home as heirlooms. The bigger guys who fought more (as the theory goes) would have lost their arms and armor on the battlefield due to breakage and wear...therefor less big suits left at home on display.

 

Not to say I believe all of that theory, but I think it does have some truisms in it.

 

As for average size of Romans, how about the remains at Pompeii? The grim statuary in the dock cave areas would yield a variety of results....I just don't have the time to look it up on-line right now.

[Guest Scanderbeg]

It can also be attributed to a better knowledge of diets. We are more knowledgable now in whats nutritious and also have access to many different types of foods. I really don't think the Romans had all that many choices in terms of foods.

[longbow]

I read somewere that Gladiators very rarelly ate meat,they would eat a Barley gruel most of the time,this was supposed to give them a certain type of fat growth under the muscle which was desirable for a man expecting sword wounds.If any one has any knowledge of Roman Diets please post,im very interested.

Thx L

[Lost_Warrior]

Wouldn't it be...over the muscle...that the fat was supposed to grow?

 

If they only ate barely, wouldn't they get scurvy? I would expect that they had some fresh vegetables as well (I read somewhere that they did, actually) and a source of protein.

[P.Clodius]

The average height of a Caesarian legionary was 5'2 due to their corn based diet. They didn't eat meat to often.

[Lynch]

Is it fair to assume then, that Germanic and Celtic Men ate more meat, and protein?

[Silentium]

Once I visited a "World of Etruscans" exhibition. Here was many things including helmets this epoch. I noted that the helmets had mainly small size. Such helmets would unlikely use an average statistical man of our time. What happining? Have people been growing for 2500 years?

Well, if you ever visit Pompeii, for instance, you will find out that doors and even beds were smaller. Our average height has increased over the centuries.

[Lacertus]

I think that foods were not first reason which influence on the growth of people. Many chemical minerals are influenced on growth (iodine, calcium, phosphorus etc). It's possible some things had been occuring in atmosphere of Earth. Air, water, soil had been change what lead to chainging of the mineral balance (the same foods, for example)

[pompeius magnus]

As far as the Romans go I would probably place their average height at about 5'5" or so, for you metric users you can convert it yourself, as Julius Caesar and Gaius Marius were considered very tall at about 6 foot to 6'2" and the Gaulic warriors whom they viewed as giants, would probably be around 6'4" and taller.

[P.Clodius]

I'm not sure about my namesake Clodius' height, but I'm pretty sure his testicles were quite large!

[Lacertus]

I don't say that all people were small height. There are always exeptions. We aware about that Caesar and Marius were tall because they were notable among common sosiety. It was the distinctive part of their external shape.

Gaulic warriors were really high if them to compare to undersized Romans.