China: remains of "giant" men who lived nearly 5,000 years ago
A team of archaeologists from Shandong University announces the remarkable discovery of the remains of “giant” men who lived in China nearly 5,000 years ago.
Bones discovered during excavations carried out in the village of Jiaojia, located in Shandong province in southeastern China, reveal at least one male individual who would have reached 1.90 m in height, as well as others measuring about 1.80m. If these sizes might seem "ordinary" today, they are on the other hand exceptional for the time: " We made this conclusion after having examined the bones" , explains Fang Hui, head of the school and history of the Shandong University. “ While alive, these men were undoubtedly even greater . ”
To give you some background, the average height of an 18-year-old in China is around 1.72m. In Europe 5,000 years ago, men were about 1.65 m tall. According to the researchers, such sizes can be explained by the access to rich food sources available to this people at the time. “ The men back then grew millet and raised pigs ,” says Mr. Fang. “ Pig bones and teeth have been found in some graves. Agriculture was no doubt well developed then. They had varied and rich food resources and therefore inevitably, their physique changed ”. The ruins where the bones were excavated also indicate that these people lived “ a comfortable life ,” allowing themselves “separate bedrooms and kitchens ,” according to archaeologists.
The excavation area is believed to have been the political, economic and cultural center of northern Shandong 5,000 years ago. In total, ruins of more than 100 buildings, more than 200 tombs and about twenty sacrificial pits have already been found there. Keep in mind that these early findings are only preliminary and have not yet been peer reviewed. Only 2,000 square meters have been dug so far – about half of the land to be unearthed.
Source: websites