We read in Genesis “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown” (Genesis 6:4)
The word “giants” is translated from the Hebrew word nephilim, from naphal, “he fell.” (Clarke’s Commentary). This word does not necessarily mean a person of great stature or size. In the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament made in the pre-Christian era, the Greek word γιγαντες was used to translate nephilim. The word γιγαντες literally means earth-born (Clarke’s Commentary), and also does not necessarily indicate a person of great stature or size. However, some scholars have pointed out that Aramaic, which is closely related to Hebrew, has a word that in its plural form would be nephilin, equivalent to Hebrew nephilim, and meaning “giants” (cf Battle over the Nephilim, Tim Chaffey, answersingenesis.org, January 1, 2012).
The term “sons of God,” or “children of God,” is used several places in the Bible of those who are sanctified, i.e., who are led by God’s Spirit, not the spirit of the world, or fleshly lusts (Hosea 1:10; Matthew 5:9; Luke 20:36; John 1:12; 11:52; Romans 8:14-21; 9:8, 11; Galatians 3:26; 4:6; Ephesians 5:1; Philippians 2:12; I John 3:1-2, 10; 5:2; Revelation 21:7).
Paul wrote: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame–who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 3:18-20).
James wrote: “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:14-17).
Probably Genesis 6:4 is speaking of descendants of Seth intermarrying with the descendants of Cain, and perhaps other descendants of Adam and Eve, and virtually the whole of humanity thus becoming spiritually corrupt. Compare: “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).
Noah evidently had descended from a line of ancestors who had not intermarried with the descendants of Cain, or who had not corrupted themselves by rebelling against God in other ways. Even so, virtually all of humanity had become corrupt by the generation of Noah. Yet, he was faithful to God, and God chose to save humanity from utter destruction through Noah and his children and their families.
We are not told specifically to whom his sons were married, and the lineage of Cain as well as Seth may have continued through the wives of Noah’s sons. Moreover, we are told in Genesis 5:4 that Adam, after begetting Abel, Cain, and Seth, “had sons and daughters.” But only the lineage of Cain and Seth are recorded in Scripture.
“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth [evidently Noah and perhaps some members of his immediate family excepted]. And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth’” (Genesis 6:11-13).
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7).
The “nephilim” of Genesis 6:4 were “the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” The word translated “mighty,” gibbôr, implies one who is powerful, and could imply one who is a tyrant, or a bully, a violent man. The word translated “renown” is shêm (pronounced shame), and implies one who is famous, or who is in a conspicuous position. The implication is that these men were the leaders of the society at the time, the rulers, the famous warriors, etc. But they were degenerate morally and spiritually.
Very likely, some of them were men of great size as well, or in other words, what we would call giants in the sense of physical size, although the Scripture does not specifically say that. In the New King James version, the word “giant,” or plural “giants,” occurs 20 times. In most of these it is speaking of individuals or groups of men who were of extraordinarily large stature, as can be determined from the context. And this same Hebrew word, “nephilim,” is used in connection with them, as well as other words. Some of the “giants” spoken of in the Bible were famous and were kings.
It’s become fashionable in modern times to ridicule the Bible as myth and fable. And in particular, the idea of men of gigantic stature is often ridiculed or dismissed, as it does not fit in with the prevailing ideas of how humanity supposedly “evolved,” nor with how the history of the world’s societies is conceived by skeptics who dismiss the Bible out of hand, or who for whatever other reason resist opening their minds to the idea that what the Bible and other sources say about giants may be factual. For example a search on an Internet browser concerning human giants returned a response summed up as follows: “In short, no giant human remains have been scientifically verified, and mainstream archaeology and paleontology reject the idea of a race of giant humans.” An article in Wikipedia states as follows: “Giant skeletons reported in the United States until the early 20th century were a combination of hoaxes, scams, fabrications, and the misidentifications of extinct megafauna” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_human_skeletons; retrieved 3-20-2026).
I’ll grant that there have been hoaxes, and sometimes misidentifications regarding giant skeletons or other artifacts such as footprints related to giants in various places and historical eras. But can anyone honestly assert that all reports of evidence that a race or races of giants lived in ancient times are false? How can such a statement be proven? Could some of the reports be valid, including the references to men of giant, or extraordinarily large stature found in the Bible? Were there giants on the earth? Did men like Goliath, and other giants who are mentioned in the Bible, actually exist? Is it possible, and what is the evidence?
When God had brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, he told Moses to send some men into the land of Canaan to explore, and bring back a report.
“But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’ And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants ( the descendants of Anak came from the giants ); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight’” (Numbers 13: 31-33).
The word used here, translated “giants,” is the same word used in Genesis 6:4: nephilim. Here we plainly see a report of men of gigantic proportions, much larger than the average Israelite, or other average size men.
“Then the Lord said to me, `Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. They were also regarded as giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave them.)” (Deuteronomy 2:9-12).
Emim is a Hebrew word that means “terrors.” The implication is they instilled fear in those who saw them, as the Anakim instilled fear in the minds of the Israelite spies who went into the promised land.
“’And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ (That was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place” (Deuteronomy 2:19-21).
Note that where the Moabites and Ammonites dwelt, descendants of Lot, had formerly been inhabited by a people of giant stature. But they had been displaced from the land, and either were killed or moved elsewhere.
“For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man” (Deuteronomy 3:11).
Bashan was in the northern part of Palestine. The minimum length of a cubit would be about 18 inches, probably longer. So Og’s bed was at least 13.5 feet long and six feet wide. Note that Og was the king in Bashan. Bashan was known as the “land of the giants.”
“And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants” (Deuteronomy 3:13).
The region is now known for its ancient ruins, particularly in Argob, where 60 fortified cities with high walls and gates were conquered by the Israelites (Deuteronomy 3:4-5). Explorers documented these “Giant Cities of Bashan” in the 19th century, noting massive stone structures and remnants of ancient settlements.
“We rode along the line of the Roman road, at least as closely as branches of the great old oaks, and jungles of thorns and bushes, would permit; for ‘the highways lie waste’ (Isa. 33:8). Every opening to the right and left revealed ruins; – now a tomb in a quiet nook; now a temple in a lonely forest glade; now a shapeless and nameless heap of stones and fallen columns; and now, through a long green vista, the shattered walls and towers of an ancient city. The country is filled with ruins.
……..
“The mountains of Bashan, though not generally very steep, are rugged and rocky; yet everywhere on their sides I saw the remains of old terraces-along every slope, up every bank, from the bottom of the deepest glen, where the oleander bends over the tiny streamlet, to the highest peak on which the clouds of heaven sleep, cradled on winter snows. These tell of former toil and industry; and so do the heaps of loose stones that have been collected off the soil, and piled up in the comers of the little fields. In the days of Bashan’s glory, fig-trees, and olives, and pomegranates, were ranged along those terraces; and vines hung down in rich festoons over their broken walls. But now Bashan has shaken off its fruits.” (cf Isaiah 33:9; The Giant Cities of Bashan and Syria’s Holy Places, part III, J. L. Porter, 1877; this book is in the public domain and can be accessed at zianet.com; mail.biblicalarchaeology.org.uk; and elsewhere in the Internet).
The Israelites did not capture all the lands of the Philistines during the time of Joshua. And people of giant stature remained among the Philistines.
During the time of David, centuries later, they still were there.
When King Saul of Israel called out the Israelites to fight the Philistines. A champion warrior, named Goliath, went out to meet the Israelites. According to the information given, he was over nine feet tall:
“And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; [perhaps about 225 pounds] and a shield-bearer went before him” (1 Samuel 17:4-7).
The army of Israel trembled at the sight of the giant. But the young David met Goliath’s challenge and defeated him in battle, and cut off his head with his own sword (I Samuel 17:49-51).
Goliath had several sons, who were also killed in battles with the Israelites.
“Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, ‘You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.’ Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant. Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant. So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants” (2 Samuel 21:16-22).
Other than the Bible, is there any evidence that humans of giant stature existed? Men nine feet tall or taller? Did they exist? First let’s review some of the evidence of other living creatures gigantic in size than today’s living specimens.
Fossil remains of a number of animals similar to those existing today, only of giant size by comparison, have been discovered including the following:
Columbian Mammoth: As much as 14.8 feet tall, and weighing 14 tons, compared to existing African elephants, 10 to 12 feet tall at the shoulder, and weighing about 6 to 8 tons.
Dire wolves: Believed to be a distant cousin of gray wolves, extinct Dire wolves were generally significantly larger than Grey wolves. They stood at about 38 inches at the shoulder, compared to an average of 26 to 32 inches for a Grey wolf. They also on average weighed about 25% more than Grey wolves.
Giant Sloths: Megatherium americanum, the largest known ground sloth, was a massive, bipedal herbivore that stood up to 12 feet tall and weighed up to four tons, making it ten times larger than modern sloths. In contrast, today’s sloths are small, arboreal mammals, typically 2 feet long and under 14 pounds.
Glyptodon: A giant armored mammal related to and resembling a large armadillo, about the size of a small car, with a bony tail club. The body shell alone was as long as 5 feet (britannica.com/animal/Glyptodon).
Megalodon: The largest shark ever known, growing over 50 to 65 feet long with teeth up to nearly 7.5 inches long. The Megalodon far surpasses any modern shark in both length and mass.
Giant Rhinoceros: Known by the scientific name Paraceratherium, this relative of the modern Rhinoceros was as much as 17.5 feet tall and weighed an estimated 15-20 tons.
Megalania (Varanus priscus): A giant monitor lizard that may have reached 23 feet in length and weighed over 4,000 pounds.
Argentavis: The largest flying bird ever discovered, with a wingspan of up to 24 feet, twice as long as that of the largest wingspan of any modern bird.
Diprotodon: World’s largest marsupial, relative of wombats and koalas, only much, much larger. Stood about 6 feet at the shoulder, and as much as 12 feet long. Some estimated to have weighed about 3 tons when living.
Deinosuchus riograndensis; Fossilized remains of gigantic crocodiles have been discovered in the Aguja Formation in the south-central part of the Big Bend National Park. With lengths of 40–50 feet, these are among the largest crocodiles ever known. (https://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/nature/deinosuchus.htm).
If other creatures existed in families and individuals of extraordinary size, who is to say that the same was not true of humans, as has been reported not just in Scripture, but in many ancient traditions.
Even now, there are substantial differences in average height among various ethnic groups in today’s world, with some African tribes (such as the Dinka and Tutsi tribes). The average male height of Dinka men is 6 feet 4 inches. And others of diminutive size, such as the Mbuti people, averaging only about 4.5 feet in height (mgkente.com). That’s a difference of nearly two feet!
Bradley Marongo, a Kenyan man, is reputed to be the tallest man in Africa, at 8 ft. 2 in. tall. Although an American, Robert Wadlow, is said to have the current world’s record of 8 ft. 11 in. (mykingsgate.co.za).
There are a number of historical references to people of giant stature or artifacts indicating the existence of such people.
The Greek historian Herodotus (circa 420 B.C.) wrote of an iron smith who said to a visitor to Tegea, a city in southern Greece, “…I, desiring in this enclosure to make a well, lighted in my digging upon a coffin of seven cubits in length [at least 11 feet]; and not believing that ever there had been men larger than those of the present day, I opened it, and I saw that the dead body was equal in length to the coffin: then after I had measured it, I filled in the earth over it again.” (Histories, 1.68).
Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, wrote:
“The tallest man that has been seen in our times, was one Gabbaras by name, who was brought from Arabia by the Emperor Claudius; his height was nine feet and as many inches. In the reign of Augustus, there were two persons, Posio and Secundilla by name, who were half a foot taller than him; their bodies have been preserved as objects of curiosity in the museum of the Sallustian family.” (7.16).
Josephus reports in his Antiquities of the Jews that bones of giants slain by the Israelites when they went into Canaan were still on display in his day (5.2.3).
The Greek writer Pausanias (second century B.C.) wrote of a tomb near Milesia in Asia Minor containing a body “not less than ten cubits” [fifteen feet]. (Description of Greece, 1:35).
Translated by Jason Colavito (www.jasoncolavito.com).
These are just some accounts from historical sources of humans or human artifacts of extraordinary size. Not all of these reports may be accurate. Some may not be true at all. But it’s likely that at least some of them are factual.
There are reports from all over the world in the past couple of hundred years of finding the remains of giants, or other evidence, such as footprints or tools of enormous size, in various locations, many (more than 1000) in locations in the United States. It’s been claimed that some of the artifacts have been donated to museums, such as the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and usually, they are never seen again.
In a book titled Strange Relics from the Depths of the Earth, by J.R. Jochmans, a number of these reports are cataloged. Jochmans was a man who spent about fifty years of his life investigating ancient ruins and historical records of what might be called “mysteries,” such as discoveries that do not fit the commonly accepted mode of thinking about history based on Darwinism.
A few of his remarks are as follows:
(1) From (part 3):
At times, the discoveries made revealed ‘mysteries upon mysteries.’ In July, 1877, four prospectors were looking for gold and silver outcroppings in a desolate, hilly area near the head of Spring Valley, not far from Eureka, Nevada. Scanning the rocks, one of the men spotted something peculiar projecting from a high ledge. Climbing up to get a better look, the prospector was surprised to find a human legbone and knee cap sticking out of solid rock. He called to his companions, and together they dislodged the oddity with picks. Realizing they had a most unusual find, the men brought it into Eureka, where it was placed on display.
The stone in which the bones were embedded was a hard, dark red quartzite, and the bones themselves were almost black with carbonization – indicative of great age. When the surrounding stone was carefully chipped away, the specimen was found to be composed of a leg bone broken off four inches above the knee, the knee cap and joint, the lower leg bones, and the complete bones of the foot. Several medical doctors examined the remains, and were convinced that anatomically they had indeed once belonged to a human being, and a very modern-looking one. But an intriguing aspect of the bones was their size: from knee to heel they measured 39 inches. Their owner in life had thus stood over 12 feet tall. Compounding the mystery further was the fact that the rock in which the bones were found was dated geologically to he era of the dinosaurs, the Jurassic – over 185 million years old. The local papers ran several stories on the marvelous find, and two museums sent investigators to see if any more of the skeleton could be located. Unfortunately, nothing else but the leg and foot existed in the rock.
If you are surprised at the alleged age of the rock in which the bones were found, you shouldn’t be. The fact is, there is no reliable method for dating the ages of rocks, as has been documented in various books, such as “Bones of Contention,” by Roger Lewin.
All sorts of fossil bones have been found in rocks all over the earth, including fossilized human bones and fossilized human footprints.
(2) From Strange Relics from the Depths of the Earth, J.R. Jochmans (part 4):
“…in the summer of 1882, inmates working in the quarry at the State Prison near Carson City, Nevada, brought to light a layer of sandstone covered with fossilized animal tracks, among them a number having belonged to the extinct mammoth. What caused considerable scientific consternation, however, was the fact that several human tracks were also found. The tracks were in six series, each with alternate right and left tracks. The stride was from two and a half to over three feet, and the individual prints were from 18 to 20 inches in length – that of a giant. The straddle – the distance between the lines of left and right prints – was 18 to 19 inches. Geologist Joseph Le Conte read a paper on the investigation done on the Carson City tracks to the California Academy of Science on August 27,1882, and attempted to explain them as the marks left by an extinct giant sloth that lived during the late Pliocene – over 2 million years ago. But sloths, in order to walk upright on only two feet, as the fossil tracks indicate, would have had to have used their tails as a balance, and there were no tail grooves in the sandstone. Not only this, but a comparison between the Carson City tracks and known sloth impressions showed several dissimilarities. The sloth’s prints have marked toe protuberances as well as definite claw marks; the Carson City tracks have neither. The Carson City tracks, in fact, showed signs that their maker had worn some type of sandal or foot protection – very definitely not the habit of an animal.
……..
Even more recent examples of foot and shoe prints were brought to light in the 1970’s, in the Carrizo Valley in northwest Oklahoma. The prints occur in both the Morrison formation and Dakota sandstone – over 100 million years old [sic]. The bare foot marks are somewhat eroded, but show evidence of definite pressure ridges. Several are in very close proximity to dinosaur tracks. The shoe prints are more clearly defined, and reveal their wearers to have been above normal size, with the imprints averaging 20 inches long and 8 inches across the ball of the foot.
(3) From Historical Collections of Ohio in Two Volumes, Henry Howe, Vol. 1, p. 264.
There were mounds situated in the eastern part of the village of Conneaut and an extensive burying ground near the Presbyterian church which appear to have had no connection with the burying places of the Indians. Among the human bones found in the mounds were some belonging to men of gigantic structure. Some of the skulls were of sufficient capacity to admit the head of an ordinary man and jaw bones that might been fitted on over the face with equal facility the other bones were proportionately large.
(4) From a wire service newspaper article in the Fort Worth Daily Gazette, 8-15-1883, is an article about a giant skeleton found near Barnard, Missouri (Nodaway County, Northwest Missouri):
“A farmer named John W. Hannon found… bones protruding from the bank of a ravine that had been cut by actions of the rains during the past years.” After excavation, the bones were found to be that of a “…skeleton, which proved to be that of a human being, whose height was twelve feet. The head through the temples was twelve inches; from the lower part of the skull at the back to the top was fifteen inches, and the circumference was forty inches. …The thigh bones were thirty inches long and large in proportion. When the earth was removed the ribs stood up high enough to enable a man to crawl in and explore the interior of the skeleton, turn around and come out with ease. …Some of the bones crumbled on exposure to the air, but many good specimens were preserved and are now on exhibit at Barnard. Medical men are much interested. The skeleton is generally pronounced a valuable relic of the prehistoric race.”
An article appearing in The Daily Bulletin newspaper, Honolulu, HI, May 22, 1884 reports the excavation of a “pre-historic city” by Professor P. W. Norris, Assistant United States Ethnologist. The location is in the Kanawha valley near Charleston. West Virginia. There were many mounds that had been built in the area and served as tombs. In one of them was found the remains of evidently a chief or leader, along with the remains of ten other individuals. The “chief” was lying on his back, and with a copper crown. He was seven and a half feet tall. (See also “The Kanawha Valley and its Prehistoric People,” cwva.org).
Many dinosaur tracks have been discovered in an area near Glen Rose, Texas. These have been written about in various publications. Interestingly, it is claimed that there are many human footprints “in sutu” among the dinosaur tracks in the area. One, called the “Burdick Track” is 6.5 inches wide and 14 inches long. Based on the size of the footprint it’s estimated the individual who left it was about seven feet tall. It is on display at the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose (cf. creationevidence.org).
Another footprint believed to be human discovered in the same area and also on display at the museum is more than 18 inches long, and is believed to have been left by a female around ten feet tall and weighing perhaps 1,000 pounds. This footprint is controversial even among creationists. Discussion about it and other prints can be found on the museum website and also in an article titled “Ancient fossil indicating coexistence, or modern hoax?” at creation.com. I suggest you consider the article and also the comments following.
These are only a few of numerous reports of giants or giant remains from various places in the world. It’s apparently not unusual for giant remains to feature two rows of teeth, or six digits on the hands and feet (cf. II Samuel 21:20; II Chronicles 20:6). I have a photo of a normal size man with six fingers and toes.
In doing research for this article I came across a book titled Giants on Record by
Jim Vieira and Hugh Newman, published in 2015. It is a book on the existence of giant skeletons and giant races in the Americas. It catalogues, chronicles and records original accounts and assesses their authenticity and reality, with a summary of all the evidence to date. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is seriously interested in studying the subject of human giants, their existence and place in history.
I’m including a few quotes from the book below:
“So this is where I stand now, working with Hugh, Ross and Micah trying to figure out this mystery. I have sought the opinion of numerous anthropologists and archaeologists on this matter. The official position is that these reports constitute a collection of hoaxes, misidentified animal remains, disarticulation, measuring (anthropometry) errors, inaccurate regression formulas, and rare cases of acromegaly and pituitary gigantism. I certainly do not think every report is valid or that all anthropologists and archaeologists are involved in some wide-sweeping cover-up, but I do believe there is a mystery here and a form of obfuscation that keeps the truth hidden. As the reader will find, our research has revealed that a fair number of these accounts represent very reputable people, real places, and real events. There are reliable measurements such as 26, 28 and 29-inch femurs and skulls with circumferences of 26, 28, 30, 32, 36 and 40 inches that are well out of the normal range.” (p. 58).
They provide details of accounts of encounters with giants in the Americas by early Spanish, English, and Dutch explorers: Francisco Cornodo (1540); Desoto (1540-41), Melchior Diaz (with Desoto), Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Francisco Gordillo and Pedro de Quejo, Álvarez de Pineda’, Sir Francis Drake, and Captain John Smith. Could they all have been lying? Why would they?
The authors comment: “A common theme in the early historical record is settlers encountering giant Native Americans in many parts of the country. As far back as the 1500s when the Spanish navigators were exploring the coast of the Americas, sightings of live giants were being recorded. Not only does this put the whole phenomenon into an historical perspective, it also points to the fact that it was only in the last few hundred years that they died off. Three captains of Spanish ships reported these taller-than-average native people on their expeditions to America, as well as Sir Francis Drake, Captain John Smith, a Smithsonian professor, and several other notable eyewitnesses.” (p. 60).
More recently, “During the mid-20th century, archaeologists found numerous large skeletons ranging between 7 and 14 ft in height in royal burials at Ocmulgee National Monument and Etowah Mounds National Historic Landmark (see The Smithsonian Files chapter). Both these town sites were ancestral to the Creek Indians, so the stories of the Spanish are quite plausible. Creek men today, especially in northern Alabama and Georgia, tend to be exceptionally tall.” (p. 80).
Among the confirmations of the accuracy of some of the earlier discoveries is quoted below:
“The following is an abstract from Dr. Marshall Becker’s paper. Becker is a senior fellow of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania:
“When John Smith first contacted a group of Susquehannock in 1608, he described these people as ‘gyant-like.’ Direct confirmation of this observation can now be provided through studies of the long bones of a population which was part of the Susquehannock ‘confederacy.’ Recent excavations at a Susquehannock site on the South Branch of the Potomac River in Hampshire County, West Virginia, revealed portions of a palisaded village and associated features dating from the middle of the 16th century. This remnant of a flood-destroyed site yielded 13 relatively intact burials. Surface collection of skeletal material immediately downstream of the site after the flood, provided long bones from at least 18 other adults. Calculation of the stature of the individuals represented in this sample and comparisons with the other Native American populations of this period confirm John Smith’s observations.” (pp. 83-84).
The authors include a very revealing chapter on the Smithsonian Institution, and efforts by Smithsonian officials to suppress credible reports concerning giants, especially in the twentieth century.
They say, “Before we started this investigation, the Smithsonian was simply just another historical institution that everyone loved, looked up to and that had some nice museums. However, as we uncovered more and more accounts, it quickly became clear that the Smithsonian collected and received thousands of artifacts, treasures, sizeable skeletons, and amassed an impressive knowledge of America’s earlier inhabitants. If there is no ‘conspiracy’, then where are all these relics now, and why do they deny they received them?” (pp. 318-19).
The authors quote from the Smithsonian’s own reports from the nineteenth century to demonstrate that numerous finds of large and very large human skeletons they had received or documented.
Ross Hamilton, who wrote the Foreword to the book, is quoted as follows: “Combing through the Museum’s old Annual Reports has been an education, raising a number of questions regarding the modern Smithsonian’s repeated denials of specific, albeit lacking-in-detail nineteenth century finds. Interestingly, there were few or no such denials until the tenure of Aleš Hrdlička, early twentieth century head of anthropology at the Museum. Thus an important—perhaps pivotal question is raised: Why would this gentleman discount the existence of relics carefully recorded in the field reports of his predecessors John Wesley Powell and Cyrus Thomas? Was Hrdlička simply an apologist ignorant of his own reliquary’s contents, a rank materialist who had not taken time to search the collections, or was there something darker creeping insidiously into American anthropology at the highest levels in the early twentieth century?” (p. 320).
The book proceeds to quote from a number of accounts from various sources, detailing the unearthing of the remains of extraordinarily tall humans, including one from the New York Times reporting on a mound near Cartersville, Ga.:
“…acres of skulls and bones. Some of these are gigantic. If the whole frame is in proportion to two thigh bones that were found, the owner must have stood 14 feet tall.”
The book continues: “Also found were ornaments of shell, brass, and stone. It was noted that ‘A representative of the Smithsonian Institution is here investigating the curious relics.’ This fact was confirmed by its inclusion in The Smithsonian’s Fifth Annual Report (1887). The Etowah Mound site is just south of Cartersville Georgia, and is a 54 acre site that was built and occupied in three phases from 1000 to 1550 AD. Etowah has three platform mounds and three lesser mounds. Temple mound A is 63 feet high with a base of 3 acres… and overlooks Temple mound B. This is another wonderfully impressive site from the Mississippian era of the Mound Builders.” (pp. 322-23).
Documented are other accounts of skeletons seven to nine feet having been found and archived or sent to the Smithsonian. Yet, an article appeared in the Berkely Daily Gazette, March 12, 1934, reporting: “…the Smithsonian’s head of anthropology Aleš Hrdlička that ‘Giants Are No More.’ Hrdlička was named the first Director of Anthropology for the Smithsonian Institution in 1910. Although there were already many giant accounts in the Smithsonian’s own Ethnology Reports (and other scientific journals of the time)….” (pp. 341-42).
Another account from Smithsonian’s records include a skull that would have measured 36 inches in circumference (p. 353).
Mentioned in Smithsonian records from the 19th century are many accounts of “large” and “very large” skeletons or portions of human remains. The “Twelfth Annual Report” published in 1894 includes: “… over 40,000 artifacts and countless skeletal remains. Over 2,000 mounds were excavated during the timeframe of this report (1882 – 1891). Although there are clearly numerous accounts of taller-than-average skeletons, neither [John Wesley] Powell or [Cyrus] Thomas [leading Smithsonian officials] (who wrote the concluding remarks in the 1894 report) mention them once. They are simply ignored. Why would they do this, especially at a time when hundreds of giant skeletons were being reported in American newspapers, in town and country histories, and by their own Smithsonian employees?” (p. 362).
“These reports leave a very intriguing legacy for our generation to ponder. The written word constitutes a powerful record of what came before us, and for the directors of one of the worlds leading institutions to ignore or deliberately suppress their own writings and research, as well as the hundreds of news reports, leaves us to conclude that their [sic] were forces gathering at the national museum that signalled an end to the true legacy of ancient America” (p. 362).
I believe we can conclude with certainty that the Bible accounts of giants are fully consistent with historical and archaeological evidence. There were giants on the earth, as the Bible says.
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