Sexual Dimorphism in the Association Between Status Symbols and Body Height in the Early Medieval Avar Population from the Csokorgasse Burial Ground (Vienna, Austria)

ABSTRACT: The relationship between material culture and body height, commonly used as a proxy for reconstructing economic conditions and social stratification, has not previously been examined for early medieval Avar populations. Therefore, this study investigates the association between estimated body height and grave goods, funerary characteristics, and activity-related indicators interpreted as markers of elevated social status in 148 male and 136 female individuals from the Avar burial ground Csokorgasse (Vienna, Austria). In addition, diachronic changes in body height from the late 6th to the late 8th century CE, a period marked by substantial transformations in subsistence strategies and lifestyle, are assessed. Overall, body height shows a slight but statistically insignificant decrease over time in both sexes. Among males, individuals interred in equestrian graves together with horses were on average more than 6 cm taller than males buried without horses. Similarly, males identified as warriors based on the presence of weapons as grave goods were significantly taller than those without weapons. Multipart belt sets, commonly interpreted as indicators of high-status males, display only a weak and statistically insignificant positive association with body height. In contrast, patterns observed among females differ markedly: Of the categories examined, only jewelry shows a statistically significant association with body height, with shorter women being buried with a greater quantity of jewelry. Thus, whereas male body height is positively associated with several markers of elevated social status, no comparable pattern can be identified for females. These results indicate a pronounced sex-specific divergence in the relationship between biological status, as reflected by body height, and socially expressed status in early medieval Avar society.