The skeletons of strikingly tall people found in the Amazon region of Peru and Ecuador are being examined in Germany, according to British anthropologist Russell Dement, head of the research team.
These giant skeletons suggest that a race of very tall people existed in the Amazon rainforest hundreds of years ago. According to the news site Cuenca, since 2013, a team of scientists have found 6 human skeletons measuring 213 to 243 cm in height and dating from the early 1400s and mid 1500s.
Dement said: “We have recently begun our research and I can only provide a general overview of what we have found. I do not want to make statements based on assumptions as our work continues. This applies to both anthropological and medical issues."
Skeletal remains in Ecuador and Peru
In late 2013, Dement received news that a skeleton had been found by a local Shuar in the province of Loja, about 112 kilometers from Cuenca, Ecuador. Dement drove there and saw a woman's ribcage and skull on the surface of the earth as a result of the flood. The bones are believed to be 600 years old. The rest of the skeleton was also found, reportedly measuring 223.5 centimeters long.
The excavation was carried out by four anthropologists from the Freie Universität in Germany with the assistance of local residents. Dement noted that the research is being conducted very thoroughly as it can be met with a great deal of skepticism.
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During six months of excavation, Scientists found five more giant skeletons, as well as artifacts. The excavations were carried out in two places: in the vicinity of Cuenca and 32 km from the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border. Dement and his colleagues believe that the tribe of giants has lived in the second place for at least 150 years. Three complete and two partial skeletons were not deformed, so scientists assume that their owners were healthy.
“Skeletons show no signs of disease, such as the hormonal growth problems that are seen in most cases of gigantism. In all skeletons, the joints were intact. One of the skeletons we have dated was of a woman in her 60s, much older than typical cases of gigantism,”noted Dement, according to Cuenca Highlife.
The bodies were wrapped in leaves and buried in a thick layer of clay, which protected them from water penetration, thanks to which they were quite well preserved.
Dement previously studied the life of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon region for two decades and heard legends about "very tall, fair-skinned people who lived nearby." The elders of the Shuars also told him about tall, peaceful people, local residents believe that these people belonged to the "spiritual world."
Perhaps these legends are about people of the Chachapoya culture. Chachapoya is a pre-Columbian culture that existed in Peru around 900-1470. n. e.
Written sources, such as Cieza de Leon's report in the Chronicle of Peru, indicate that the Chachapois had "lighter" skin than other peoples in the region.
Even now, Peruvian Indians sometimes have fair-haired children and the locals call them "the chachapoya people."
Real giants
Since the announcement of this discovery, several reports have greatly exaggerated the size of the skeletons (supposedly they reached seven meters). The bones were also mistakenly linked to a reconstruction of the skeleton of the "giant of Ecuador" in a now closed theme park in Switzerland, which was in fact a fake.
These false reports should not distract from the actual discovery of giant skeletal remains found in Ecuadorian and Peruvian forests. These findings confirm the ancient legends of the mythical race of giants.
There is real confirmation of these myths. The tallest man in history was Robert Pershing Wadlow. Born in Altona, Illinois, USA in 1918, he was 2.72 m tall. He grew so large due to pituitary hyperplasia.
Another example of gigantism was Charles Byrne (1761-1783), known as the Irish giant. His skeleton (2.31 meters) is on display at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London.
The results of Dement's group research will be published in a year. Scientists are examining DNA samples from Shuars living in the excavation area to check if they match the DNA of giant skeletal remains from an ancient Amazonian settlement.
I would like to hope that the test results will confirm the truth of the legends about the Ecuadorian giants.