Diet is probably a big factor in why the Vikings were so tall. While most Europeans were living in agricultural societies, and therefore ate a lot of carbohydrates, the Vikings prioritized animal husbandry and fishing, which meant that they had more protein in their diet.
Though many Vikings grew their own crops, they had limited access to vegetation. This meant they often hunted for animals to survive, and looked after livestock. The result was access to a huge amount of protein and fat, excellent for building muscle.
On average, Vikings were rarely over 5 foot 7 in height, but this didn't mean they weren't large in comparison to some of the other peoples of the time. Vikings might have been short by today's standards, but they were still seen as larger than life attackers in their day.
"The examination of skeletons from different localities in Scandinavia reveals that the average height of the Vikings was a little less than that of today: men were about 5 ft 7-3/4 in. tall and women 5 ft 2-1/2 in.
The chances are Vikings were a lot leaner than many people today, thanks to their protein-rich diet, and their commitment to hard labor. However, it's likely that the comparative 'largeness' of Vikings was down to their muscular bodies and strength, rather than simply being "fat".
The Viking trained their what Shaul calls their “tactical or combat chassis”—legs, hips, and core—daily. They did this by farming (lifting heavy stuff), shipbuilding (chopping trees), and rowing (strengthening legs, arms, and lungs).
Vikings were extremely clean and regularly bathed and groomed themselves. They were known to bathe weekly, which was more frequently than most people, particularly Europeans, at the time. Their grooming tools were often made of animal bones and included items such as combs, razors, and ear cleaners.
Vikings would win. Vikings fought guerilla style and seemed to have heavier weapons, as for Spartans, unlike the AC game, they fought in phalanx formation, a disciplined formation warfare like the Romans and British and had lighter weapons.
Clifford Thompson, the world's tallest man and Count Olaf, the Norwegian Viking Giant claimed to be 8 foot, 7 inches tall.
Contrary to popular belief, these results suggest that the Vikings were not significantly taller than other Europeans living during the same era. Additionally, no scientific evidence indicates they had any physical or genetic advantage over different populations.
Some specialists also believe Vikings had higher levels of testosterone than people today, perhaps as a result of their genetics, and their unusual diet. This excess testosterone also meant many female Vikings had more masculine features than future generations, such as broad brows and jaws.
The chances are Vikings were a lot leaner than many people today, thanks to their protein-rich diet, and their commitment to hard labor. However, it's likely that the comparative 'largeness' of Vikings was down to their muscular bodies and strength, rather than simply being “fat”.
Vikings were known for their excellent hygiene.
Excavations of Viking sites have turned up tweezers, razors, combs and ear cleaners made from animal bones and antlers. Vikings also bathed at least once a week—much more frequently than other Europeans of their day—and enjoyed dips in natural hot springs.
The purpose of the Vikings' violence was to acquire wealth, which fed into the political economy of northern Europe, notably in the form of gift-giving. Viking warriors were motivated by a warrior ideology of violence that praised bravery, toughness, and loyalty.
Human ancestors are thought to have had more muscles connecting the skull, neck, and shoulders/back area (similar to apes) which caused their neck and skull regions to appear to sag, such as non-human primate species do.
The 13th-century Icelandic historian/poet Snorri Sturluson described Odin's berserkers as being "mad as dogs or wolves" and "strong as bears or wild oxen," killing people with a single blow.
How tall were the Vikings? The average Viking was 8-10 cm (3-4 inches) shorter than we are today. The skeletons that the archaeologists have found, reveals, that a man was around 172 cm tall (5.6 ft), and a woman had an average height of 158 cm (5,1 ft).
In modern stories of the Vikings, Norse warriors tend to be presented as enormous and towering over their European neighbors. But were the Vikings really taller and stronger than other people living in Europe at that time? The short answer is actually yes!
They were taller on average than most Europeans of their time. Sometimes by much, sometimes not so. For example, average height of the Viking era (9th to 11th century) male skeletons found in Denmark, Norway and Iceland is 172cm. Those found in Sweden were taller, 176cm.
The differences would be that Vikings would be specialized in fighting off ships and samurai off horses, so to level the playing ground we set both as infantry. But from here on, nearly all differences will favour the viking. Taller & stronger = viking.
Any fight between a Roman force and a Viking force would depend on which one is dictating the terms of the battle. However, the Romans fought and won much more territory than the Vikings, suggesting they may have had an edge. That said, this doesn't entirely mean that the Romans were better than the Vikings militarily.
Archaeological findings show that the Vikings had everything required of a terrible foe. Their axes, swords, spears, bows and arrows, shields, and armour were equal to the weapons and armours of continental Europe and Britain – and often of the highest quality available at the time.
A Viking family would typically eat two meals per day. Dagmal was the morning meal in which the adults would eat leftover stew from the night before with bread and fruit. The children would usually have porridge and dried fruit or, on occasion, buttermilk and bread.
A major benefit of the Viking diet was the fact that every level of society, from kings to common sailors, ate meat every day. Often this would have been pork, as hogs were easy to raise and quick to mature, but Vikings also ate beef, mutton and goats.
They were usually on the upper front teeth, and these grooves could be thin or deep, mostly horizontal but in a few cases vertical. Many were just straight lines, but we could also see crescent-shaped marks as well. The first major study of the phenomenon was made by Caroline Arcini in 2005.