Metal auxiliaries

[General Plinius]

I just noticed that there are now metal versions of the auxiliary models. I was interested to know how large they are in comparison to the plastic legionaries. Are they as big as the Goliath sized plastic versions or closer to the size of the legionaries?

[mikeland]

I think the metal auxiliaries pre-date the plastics, and the plastic ones were released to supersede them. As regards sizes the Auxiliaries are deliberately larger than the Legionaries. The auxiliaries are supposed to be Celtic warrior stock, who were apparently typically 6 inches to a foot taller than the Legionaries from rome... strange but true. I know it looks a little odd, but when you understand why it makes sense.

[General Plinius]

I understand that the Celts were taller than the Romans. However the size difference for me at least is a little too great.

[Correus]

WOW!!! The plastic ones are really big as well!!! I didn't notice this until now.

So, they DO look okay next to the Legionaries when completed?

Just out of curiosity, can anyone share a picture of a Legionary cohort next to an Auxiliary cohort?

[Centurio Cunibus]

I understand that the Celts were taller than the Romans. However the size difference for me at least is a little too great.

Now I don't know how big the difference between a Celt and a Roman would have been, but I must say that there is a remarkable variety in sizes between different populations. As a dutchman (biggest people of the world at the moment, and I'm only just above average) living and studying in a city with a lot of Asian students I am often amazed how I am often one or two heads taller than them!

[Invisible officer]

The body size of the Roman population changed between the Carthaginian war and the 2nd century. Better food and other changes in living conditions led to an average male size of 170 cm. But even for the earliest times the average 150 cm are the often repeated story from the time before the modern regression formula was developed.
Modern recalculation give an average of 162 cm for the earlier time.

The Celtic Hallstatt graves give an average of 170 cm for men. Germans are calculated with a 170 - 174 cm average. The nobel's graves show a larger body size, even in the time of famine post Roman invasion it remains with 175 cm, the ordinary people became smaller, even smaller than the Romans.

Among the East Germans, like the Goths, we find populations with an average of 180 cm.

In 3rd century the average size of the Romans got smaller, 164 cm now. The crisis caused famine and illness.

All the above average sizes are calculated with the same regression formula. But we should not forget that average is just that, average. You find much larger or smaller men. So a Roman might be 180 cm and a German 155.

[carvel2]

For those imperially challenged...aprox...
170cm = 5' 6"
150cm =4' 11"
164cm = 5' 4"
180cm = 5'10"
or for your own amusement...
http://www.metric-conversions.org/length/centimeters-to-inches.htm

[Cubster]

I heard a rule of thumb that average heights can be linked to dairy intake. A massive simplification of course, but the theory was that a calcium-rich dairy diet led to better formed skeletons and larger frames. Obviously there's a lot of other stuff involved too, like the link between height and sexual attraction, good varied diets, hat altitude etc..