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I was surprised when I've found out that some mummies were found to be around 5'9'' considering it is not much different than average height is today. From what I understand, in the Middle Ages in Europe, the average height was way below that which you see when visiting old buildings and the doors being somewhere around 5' feet high. Are there any reliable charts showing how the heights of people in various regions have changed over the centuries and millennia?
I am also curious if there are specific reasons for the changes you can think/know of.
Added:
Here is a great set of charts showing how for millennia the average height has not changed much until just recently:
https://ourworldindata.org/human-height/
A huge drop reaching its low around 4,000 BC for men. Then another drop reaching a low in the mid 1,800s. And then a huge spike all the way through the 20th century.
In short:
It looks like we are now back to the same average height that existed around 16,000 BC for the first time since.
However:
The United States appears to be an exception where both, male and female adults' height didn't change closely as much as the international trend:
(Seen here: https://ourworldindata.org/human-height/)
And at one time volunteer soldiers in the US were much taller than volunteer soldiers in countries where their height average has drastically surpassed that of their American counterparts since:
[h=6](Mean heights of volunteer soldiers in the US and in selected countries with conscription)[/h]
I am also curious if there are specific reasons for the changes you can think/know of.
Added:
Here is a great set of charts showing how for millennia the average height has not changed much until just recently:
https://ourworldindata.org/human-height/
A huge drop reaching its low around 4,000 BC for men. Then another drop reaching a low in the mid 1,800s. And then a huge spike all the way through the 20th century.
In short:
It looks like we are now back to the same average height that existed around 16,000 BC for the first time since.
However:
The United States appears to be an exception where both, male and female adults' height didn't change closely as much as the international trend:
(Seen here: https://ourworldindata.org/human-height/)
And at one time volunteer soldiers in the US were much taller than volunteer soldiers in countries where their height average has drastically surpassed that of their American counterparts since:
[h=6](Mean heights of volunteer soldiers in the US and in selected countries with conscription)[/h]
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