Giant Amerindians: Fact or Fantasy?

Historical reports of "giant" American Indians in the southeastern United States, encountered by early post-Columbian explorers, are extensive and persuasive. They are supported by numerous artists' renderings and illustrations. Early explorers, colonizers, missionaries, government of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Southeastern archaeology 1997-07, Vol.16 (1), p.73-78
Main Authors: Iscan, Mehmet Yasar, Kessel, Morton H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeological sites
Arithmetic mean
Engraving
Long bones
Native Americans
Osteology
Paleoanthropology
Physical anthropology
Skeleton
Travelers
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Summary:Historical reports of "giant" American Indians in the southeastern United States, encountered by early post-Columbian explorers, are extensive and persuasive. They are supported by numerous artists' renderings and illustrations. Early explorers, colonizers, missionaries, government officials, adventurers, artists, visitors and publishers were apparently persuaded of their existence. In contrast, there is no osteologic analysis of data to support these claims. This study present osteometric assessment of stature from the remains of prehistoric precontract southeastern U.S. Indians. Results indicate that at an average height under 170 cm these people were definitely not giants. The authors offer a number of possible explanations for this paradox but are lead to the conclusion that giant Indians existed only in the imaginations of travellers, historians and artists.
ISSN:0734-578X