Regarding the difference in size between Romans and Germans - the
typical Roman soldier was likely to be an unemployed urban dweller,
runaway slave or a small peasant almost taxed out of existence by
some rich land-lord. As a person living on a diet of coarse bread,
lentils and fish paste (garum), stature falls. Romans of the late
Republic and Empire were smaller than were Romans of the 6th century
BCE. By comparison Germans, living in small self-sufficient hamlets
and villages ate much better and had a far healthier lifestyle - and
so were physically so much bigger.
Similar effects could be observed in the British forces of WWI. The
average British tommie from London or Liverpool was much shorter than
the average Aussie or Canuck, from the "bush". Diet operating over
generations has a huge effect - Japanese, previously very short, have
grown enormously in size to be on average almost European in stature.
Its a fairly good way to assess which people have been exploited for
generations - get them to line up! At the start of the Dutch East
India Company - the average Dutchman was as tall as the average
Javanese. Since then the Dutch have increased in stature and the
Javanese have diminished.
Regards
John
--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "ghozzis" <ghozzis@...> wrote:
> Hello!
> I know that "races" dont exist, and I know that indo-europeans may
> have not been a unique race, but, how to explain the differences in
> physical aspects for example between Italians and Germans? Already
in
> the Antiquity, Julius Caesar says the Germans are laughing at the
> Latins because of their small size, and he often call them "giants"!
> How can it be that, if, say, Germans and Latins were a unique
people
> for example in 2000 bc that they physical type so rapidally differ?
> So, do you have explanations why it seems that Germans and Latins
are
> two populations very far from another genetically, though at the
time
> of Caesar they had been separated since only a few thousands years.
>
> PS: do you know something about the hair colour of indo-europeans?
in
> the contrary to what I have said previously, many characters in
latin
> and greek litterature are blond!