Giant Human Existence: Facts?

Humans have recounted stories of giants for ages, from the legendary cyclopes of ancient Greece to the towering biblical figure of Goliath. But are these tales mere myths, or did enormous humans truly walk the Earth?

If we define a giant as someone nearly 9 feet tall, then the answer is yes. Robert Wadlow, recognized as the tallest person in recorded history, reached a remarkable height of 8 feet, 11 inches (2.72 meters) before his death at 22 in 1940, according to Guinness World Records.

Wadlow significantly surpassed the current average height for humans in the United States, which is around 5 feet, 9 inches (1.75 meters), and even exceeded some interpretations of the biblical description of Goliath. However, Wadlow’s exceptional height was not attributed to magic or myth. Like many individuals known as giants in real life, his extraordinary stature was due to a medical condition.

According to Márta Korbonits, a professor of endocrinology at Queen Mary University of London, most patients diagnosed with gigantism experience issues related to growth hormones. This was also true in the case of Robert Wadlow.

Korbonits explained that gigantism is typically caused by elevated levels of growth hormones produced by a benign tumor in the pituitary gland of the brain. Advances in medical science mean that today, doctors can often remove such tumors and use medications to prevent excessive growth, given the serious health risks associated with gigantism and these tumors.

Various conditions can lead people to grow exceptionally tall, including Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes bones to elongate, as explained by Márta Korbonits, an endocrinology professor at Queen Mary University of London.

Not all extraordinarily tall individuals have a diagnosed medical condition like gigantism. For instance, Bao Xishun, formerly the world’s tallest man at 7 feet, 9 inches (2.36 meters), did not have gigantism. According to Korbonits, these individuals likely possess genetic variations predisposing them to tall stature.

While it is easier to study tall humans in modern times, tall people have likely existed throughout human history. Evidence of gigantism dates back to ancient times, such as an alleged ancient Egyptian pharaoh measuring around 6 feet, 1.6 inches (1.87 meters). Korbonits’ research indicates that many tall humans in Ireland inherited a gene mutation originating from someone who lived 2,500 years ago.

Korbonits emphasized that diseases like gigantism have existed alongside humanity for millennia, suggesting tall individuals could be found in various historical periods, including Ancient Egypt.

Height is influenced by a combination of genetics and environmental factors, such as diet during early life. Overall, populations tend to grow taller over time with advancements in civilization, although growth trends are not always straightforward.

Pavel Grasgruber, a researcher at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, noted findings of unusually tall male skeletons dating back approximately 29,000 years to the late phase of the mammoth-hunting Gravettian culture. These discoveries, including a skeleton measuring 6 feet, 5 inches (1.96 meters) from the Grimaldi cave system in Italy, have contributed to myths about giants throughout history.

Consideration of the time when these skeletons were unearthed reveals that the average male height in Europe was less than 170 cm (5 feet, 7 inches), as highlighted by Grasgruber. This disparity likely contributed to these individuals appearing exceptionally tall, perhaps even akin to “giants” in the eyes of contemporary scientists.

Researchers are uncertain if these tall remains accurately represented the entire Gravettian population. However, Grasgruber pointed out that tall stature was common among early Upper Paleolithic populations in France and Moravia (modern-day Czech Republic). These individuals achieved heights that surpassed those of modern industrial nations until the mid-20th century.

Grasgruber attributed the robust physical condition of these early Upper Paleolithic hunters to factors such as low population density and abundant game, including mammoths and other large mammals.

1. ^{ONLINE NEWS} Pester, P. (2024, June 23). Have giant humans ever existed? livescience.com. [livescience.com]
2. ^{ONLINE NEWS} Atwal, S. (2023, July 21). Tallest man ever Robert Wadlow’s height in every year of his life. Guinness World Records. [Guinness World Records]
3. ^WEBSITE National Center for Health Statistics. (2021, September 10). Body Measurements – FastStats. CDC. [CDC]
4. ^WEBSITE UCLA Health. (n.d.). Gigantism Symptoms & Treatment. UCLA Health. [UCLA Health]
5. ^JOURNAL Galassi, F. M., Henneberg, M., De Herder, W., Rühli, F., & Habicht, M. E. (2017). Oldest case of gigantism? Assessment of the alleged remains of Sa-Nakht, king of ancient Egypt. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 5(8), 580–581. [The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology]
6. ^JOURNAL Radian, S., Diekmann, Y., Gabrovska, P., Holland, B., Bradley, L., Wallace, H., Stals, K., Bussell, A. M., McGurren, K., Cuesta, M., Ryan, A. W., Herincs, M., Hernández-Ramírez, L. C., Holland, A., Samuels, J., Aflorei, E. D., Barry, S., Dénes, J., Pernicova, I., . . . Korbonits, M. (2016b). Increased population risk ofAIP-Related Acromegaly and gigantism in Ireland. Human Mutation, 38(1), 78–85. [Human Mutation]
7. ^WEBSITE QMUL. (n.d.). Irish Giants – Familial Isolated Pituitary Adenoma (FIPA). QMUL. [QMUL]
8. ^JOURNAL Vancata, V. (2003). SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN BODY SIZE AND SHAPE IN PAVLOVIAN UPPER PALEOLITHIC GROUP: a POPULATION APPROACH. ResearchGate, 213–240. [ResearchGate]