Renee writes (after I'd said that the suits of armor I'd seen in museums were extremely small)
Yes, but this is a "museum syndrome" noted by American archaeologist James Deetz (1930-2000). We are often told that "old garments, shoes, or pieces of armor" seen in museums show definitely that "people were smaller in those days." While this is undeniably true to some extent, Deetz points out that this conclusion does not allow for the probability that "very small items of personal wear would not be as eligible for hand-me-down status." As a result, clothing and wearable artefacts found in museums constitute a biased sample, reflecting the shorter end of the size spectrum.
The ceiling beams in the Barley Mow, in Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire, once forcefully impressed on me that pub-goers in that part of Britain at least were (probably, for the most part, maybe), shorter than me. But I now learn from their website that the Barley Mow was 'originally two old farm cottages,' so that all one can really conclude is that old farm cottages (and not pubs) had low ceilings.
I wonder about Deetz's including armor in his list. Was there hand-me-down armor?
Robert Paul, not shirking, but shrinking ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
