Average height through centuries europe

[Faelcind]

Interesting article.

[ftp]http://ancienthistory.about.com/b/a/059127.htm[/ftp]

[nerdling301]

i'm sure nobody wants to read all that, just summarize it for us

[Faelcind]

Fixed the link

[Ponto Hardbottle]

I don't follow. What exactly did you do? The article looks the same.
I suppose the bottom line is that Europeans and other races, have experienced periods of time where conditions were optimum for maximum stature and periods due to overpopulation, disease, climate reversals and famines were stature was stunted.
According to what I remember about the heights of men in England the heights did not vary by much over time. For example, the Neolithics were around 175 cm and the later Anglo-Saxons were 170 cm. The effects of the Industrial Revolution did stunt heights but heights recovered.

[Faelcind]

When I tried to use the link last time I got URL not found so I went back and foudn it again. I find the article interesting for a number of reason one it debunks the common myth that the ancients were midgets and two height which is genereal considered a good indicator of overall quality of life(at least health) was often higher in times and places considered less civilized.

[Crimson Guard]

5'5 has been about the average height throughout Europa until around the late 1890's to 1900.

The average height for the Viking was around 5'8. Tall for a Roman was 5'7".

[captainusa1]

I always heard that prehistoric men were about 5'10" while prehistoric women were about 5'6". The rise of urban civilization eventually dropped the average heights to 5'6" and 5'2", respectively. The average heights, as was previously stated, started to rise around the turn of the last century. Humans probably will max out when they reach their prehistoric heights.

[Klink dan en daverje]

The rise of urban civilization eventually dropped the average heights to 5'6" and 5'2", respectively. The average heights, as was previously stated, started to rise around the turn of the last century.

a.
Maybe it's because of migration during the ancient age and mixing with peoples from the south and east. Because UP people are mostly noted to be the inhabitant of prehistoric Europe, they were quite tall.

b.
Peoples during the prehistoric age in Europe where mostly hunters, gatherers etc. and low in population.
But with the upcoming of cities large populations became dependent for food from a farmer class, they had to camp with droughts, floods, locusts etc.

In modern times there are fertilizers, pesticides, agricultural Universities etc. this creates even more food then ever was available before.

[Bryce]

I infer from many posts that height is very much an issue. I admit to feeling concerned, too, mostly because of the social pressure. We can read posts in which a member scoffs at the mention "Swedish giant" that he read in another member's intervention and sends an answer just to say: "If 1.90 m is giant, then I'm an über-giant", or something of that ilk (probably missing a breath with exalted pride). A famed Dodonian (one of the stars of this forum) literally said that she's not "race-obsessed but height-obsessed". Nowadays, healthy but under-average people go through excruciating pains to gain from one to five inches, having their leg-bones sawn and lengthening devices placed for months, unable to work, spending sleepless nights while their osteocytes make new bone and their muscles and tendons stretch to match the length increase (anti-inflammatory drugs and pain-killers hinder the healing process), unable to walk without crutches for months after the removal of the device. And so forth…
This brings my question.
Within a century, maybe less, the average height in developed countries will probably reach 2 meters, with the according bulk and weight.
Today, freed from the struggle for life, is such a high stature an evolutionary advantage? It helps in mate selection, no doubt, but I wonder if two-meter high specimens will age better and stay healthier than short ones.