Giant Skeletons 7–8 Feet Tall Discovered in Ecuador Sent for Scientific Examination
According to a study team led by British archaeologist, Russell Dement remains discovered in the Amazon area of Ecuador and Peru are being examined in Germany. Will these relics indicate the existence of a race of tall people hundreds of years ago deep in the Amazonian rainforest?
According to a Cuenca news site, the crew has discovered a half-dozen human bones dating from the early 1400s to the mid-1500s that stand between seven and eight feet (213 to 243 cm) tall.
“We are really early in our investigation, and I am only able to offer a basic outline of what we have uncovered,” Dement stated. Because our study is ongoing, I don’t want to make assertions based on assumptions. The magnitude of the skeletons has both anthropological and medical ramifications,” according to Cuenca Highlife.
Skeletal Remains Can Be Found in Ecuador and Peru
Dement learned in late 2013 that a skeleton had been discovered by a Shuar native in Loja Province, Ecuador, some 70 miles (112 kilometers) from Cuenca. Dement went to the location and collected a female rib cage and skull that had been exposed by water. The bones were assumed to have been discovered 600 years ago. The rest of the skeleton was discovered and reconstructed to a height of seven feet, four inches (223.5 cm).
This spurred the establishment of a study team comprised of four researchers from Germany’s Freie Universität with the support of Shuar residents. The excavation and study were funded by the university.
Recognizing that this is a contentious field of study, Dement stated, “Even though I had been working with Freie for many years, I was apprehensive that they may not award a funding for someone seeking for giants.” Outsiders, especially scientists, may think this is a little far-fetched.
“Because of the spectacular nature of this, we must be really meticulous in our study because it will be met with a lot of suspicions,” he added.
Within six months of digging and mapping at two sites: one outside of Cuenca and another hamlet dated to around 1550 on the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border, the team had discovered five additional tall bones as well as artifacts. Dement and his colleagues believe the group at the second location had been there for at least 150 years.
The three entire skeletons and two half skeletons exhibited no disfiguration, indicating that they were in good health.
“The bones exhibit no symptoms of sickness, such as the hormonal growth abnormalities that are present in most cases of gigantism,” Dement added. The joints looked to be healthy in all of the skeletons, and the lung cavity appeared to be enormous. “One of the remains that we have dated was of a girl who was nearly 60 years old when she died, significantly older than normal cases of gigantism,” Cuenca Highlife reported.
The funerals were ornate. The bodies were covered in leaves and buried under a thick layer of clay. This sealed the bones and protected them from water ingress, preserving the remains in reasonable condition.
Legends are brought to life
Dement had previously researched Amazon indigenous populations for more than two decades and had heard traditions about “extremely tall, pale-skinned beings who used to reside there,” according to reports. Elders of the community portrayed Dement as a benign race of huge Amazonians who were welcomed by the local Shuar and Achuar people. The natives, on the other hand, believed these individuals belonged to the spirit realm’ and were simply legendary.
Giants in Real Life
Several accounts have drastically overstated the magnitude of the findings since their release, with seven feet being reported as seven meters (making them 23 feet tall). The bones have also been incorrectly linked to false pictures and a reconstruction of an “Ecuador giant,” which was a bogus skeleton for a now-defunct Swiss entertainment park.
These misleading allegations should not detract from the scientific study of seven-to-eight-foot skeletal remains discovered in the Ecuadorian and Peruvian rainforests. While such bones appear to suit the old stories of a legendary race, they are not unheard of or unsupported in scientific literature.
Other occurrences of extremely tall individuals (or “giants”) may readily be produced, such as Robert Wadlow, known as the “Alton Giant,” who is credited with being the tallest person in recorded history. Wadlow was born in Alton, Illinois, in 1918, and stood eight feet, eleven inches (2.72 meters) tall at the time of his death.
Another example of contemporary gigantism is Charles Byrne (1761-1783), sometimes known as “The Irish Giant,” whose skeleton is currently on exhibit at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London. His skeletal measurements put him at about seven feet, seven inches (2.31 meters) tall.
Archaeologists in Bulgaria uncovered the bones of a “giant skeleton” earlier this year in downtown Varna, a city on the Black Sea’s coast with a rich culture and civilization dating back 7,000 years. The bones were described as “amazing,” and they belonged to “a very tall guy.”
Given the existence of such occurrences throughout history, it comes to reason that there were individuals or perhaps groups of people who were regarded as “giants” by the ancients.
According to Dement, the results of the purported Freie University research would be released in a year. Dement is supposed to be investigating DNA samples from Shuar populations around the excavation site to determine if they correlate with the skeletal remains from the old settlement.
Hopefully, the published information will shed light on the people who lived in the Amazonian rainforest hundreds of years ago and how they interacted with the Shuar and Achuar peoples, possibly sparking myths and beliefs that were passed down for generations, resulting in the legend of the Ecuadorian giants.
