Roman men probably didn’t think about their step count, and they didn’t need a Fitbit to cover a lot of ground. When I heard about the daily step count of Roman men, I was curious. I recently discovered data on the daily step count of the modern Hadza hunter-gatherer tribe in Tanzania, and I was impressed to learn that the tribe members walk an average of 15,000 to 17,500 steps a day, which is far more than the recommended evidence-backed 7,000 steps encouraged today. So, what about Roman men? Here’s the data.
The daily step count of Roman men
In those roughly 2,000 years, the step count has continued to decline. For the average Roman male citizen, historical and archaeological evidence shows the daily step count is estimated at around 9,000 to 11,000 steps. These numbers were derived from reconstructions of daily lives and consideration of the walkable cities of Rome and Pompeii.
Walking as a form of transportation
Carts were banned in many places during the daytime hours to help ease traffic and encourage foot travel. Roman men used walking as a form of transport to get to temples, markets, work, public baths, and forums. In the public baths, men would bathe, exercise, socialize, and even conduct business dealings.
Laborers and tradesmen took even more steps as they walked from farms to workshops, markets, and construction sites. Men with careers in politics, law, and the military also relied heavily on walking to get to clients’ homes, meetings, entertainment, and gatherings.
The high daily physical activity level of Roman soldiers
Many Roman soldiers were trained to march 20 Roman miles in just five hours in the summer, which comes out to around 30 km. To add to the intensity of this feat, the Roman soldiers usually had to wear full armor and carry heavy packs, building endurance, strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
The daily step count of men in the 1800s
In the 1800s in the U.S. and Europe, walking was also a primary mode of transportation for men. While we don’t have accelerometer data, we can get an idea about the step count of men in the 1800s by looking at studies of the older Amish communities.
Research indicates that older Amish communities typically cover an average of 18,425 steps per day. This figure could be adjusted to between 15,000 and 18,425 steps as a rough estimate of the step count of men in the 1800s. Trades and occupations like blacksmithing, carpentry, and farming all involved plenty of walking.
The step count of modern man
The data shows that the average modern man walks around 4,774 steps a day, which is far less than the Hadza tribe, the older Amish communities, and the men of the Roman Empire. Other modern data shows even fewer or similar modern step counts. Looking at all of this research made me want to go for a walk.
