Urban-rural differences in stature in the population of medieval Bohemia

Abstract

This study explores differences in stature and their diachronic trends between the urban and rural medieval populations of Bohemia. We estimated stature from the lengths of the long bones of subjects living in Prague (urban) and rural areas of present Czech territory. Our results indicate the absence of significant urban/rural differences in stature in the population living between the 11th and 14th century. For both sexes, the temporal variations in stature in this period show a statistically non-significant decrease in the rural, and increase in the urban, population samples. These findings suggest a uniformity of living conditions in the medieval population in this area of Central Europe. Economic factors causative for urban versus rural stature differences appear later in the Modern Age, probably in relation to industrialization.