“Archaeological Discovery Reveals 5,000-Year-Old Giants in China’s Jiaojia Village”

In 2016, archaeologists commenced excavations at a late Neolithic site in Jiaojia, Shandong province, China, uncovering a wealth of artifacts including 104 houses, 205 graves, and 20 sacrificial pits. Among these findings, a remarkable discovery has astonished experts: a graveyard containing skeletons of individuals who measured 5’9” or taller. This stature was exceptionally tall for the era, with one individual standing at approximately 6’2” (1.9 meters), making him particularly noteworthy.

Fang Hui, head of Shandong University’s school of history and culture, commented on the significance, stating, “This is just based on the bone structure. If he was a living person, his height would certainly exceed 1.9 meters.” The discovery challenges previous assumptions about the average height of Neolithic populations in ancient China, suggesting these individuals would have been perceived as giants compared to their contemporaries 5,000 years ago.

For context, while the average height of Neolithic populations in Europe was around 5’5” (1.67 meters), according to Our World in Data, the taller stature observed in Jiaojia underscores the uniqueness of these ancient remains and their cultural implications.