--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Heights plummeted because of a little…" description: "\"“Heights plummeted because of a little disaster called civilization. \"Heights go way down when we go into state society,\" says Bogin. \"When Egypt conqu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/arianne-cohen-45604_cities_heights-plummeted-because-of-a-little-di_3085851.jpg" --- # Heights plummeted because of a little disaster called… ![“Heights plummeted because of a little disaster called civilization. "Heights go way down when we go into state society," says Bogin. "When Egypt conquered the Nile area, the height of peasants fell dramatically. They moved from having access to a wide variety of foods to growing what the Egyptian…” quote by Arianne Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/arianne-cohen-45604_cities_heights-plummeted-because-of-a-little-di_3085851.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/arianne-cohen-45604_cities_heights-plummeted-because-of-a-little-di_3085851.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/arianne-cohen-45604_cities_heights-plummeted-because-of-a-little-di_3085851.jpg) > ““Heights plummeted because of a little disaster called civilization. "Heights go way down when we go into state society," says Bogin. "When Egypt conquered the Nile area, the height of peasants fell dramatically. They moved from having access to a wide variety of foods to growing what the Egyptian state demanded. Their bones show lots of deficiencies in minerals and iron." The same stunting happened repeatedly throughout history. As late as the 1800s, male Cheyenne Indians, who hunted bison and collected berries, averaged a whopping 5'10", towering above even today's Americans, not to mention General Custer's cavalry, which averaged 5'7", and the period's wealthy European monarchies.”” [Arianne Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianne-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilization’s shift to state-controlled agriculture reduced dietary diversity, causing widespread nutritional deficiencies and stunted growth in populations historically **In simple terms:** State societies limited food variety, leading to poorer nutrition and shorter stature. Key Takeaway Recognize how modern food systems affect health. Themes nutrition history health society Mood concerned analytical Type historical analytical When to use this quote - public health policy - dietary guidelines - historical health studies Key Concepts anthropology nutrition science social determinants of health Questions to Reflect On - How does centralization of food production impact health today? - What policies can preserve dietary diversity? A Different Perspective Modern agriculture can mitigate some deficiencies but may introduce new health issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ## Related quotes > [“We smugly assume that we are the tallest humans to ever grace the earth. Quite the contrary. 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