Andre the Giant, Goliath, Gulliver. We are familiar with so-called giants of screen and mythology – but what if there was a real-life race of human giants that once walked the earth? And we don’t just mean you Big and Tall fellas out there.

It is a very odd theory indeed, and one that understandably draws sniggers upon first hearing it – until you look at the evidence. To say this is a fringe theory is a bit of an understatement, but hear us out…

There is some evidence that points to a lost race of giants which preceded modern man. Much of it is old documented accounts that is only now coming to light.

… But didn’t the film Prometheus allude to this, the film fans among you ask? Yes, it did, and the notion is slowly gaining traction with rogue scientists, free-thinkers, and pop culture… Even the new hyped Red Dead Redemption video game has a scene alluding to the theory.

From the Bible referring to a race of giants known as the Nephilim, who were said to have been killed by the Great Flood – to ancient cultures’ beliefs that a race of giant god-like humans brought the knowledge of civilisation back in the murky plains of prehistory, it seems that references to giants are everywhere in the ancient world. Indeed, it is a belief that many cultures and religions have held for a long time.

Now we’re not saying that we subscribe to the theory here at Big Tee Shirt, just that we find some of the so-called evidence pretty intriguing. And as we all know, the Big and Tall guy is a bit of a god in our eyes (and most ladies’ eyes too, wink wink!).

I hear you ask: “But we know giants exist, what about Andre the Giant?” We’re not talking about someone born with genetic gigantism like the late Andre (god bless his massive soul) – but an as-yet unrecognised race of giants humans.

So let’s leave our giant sceptic’s hat at the door and take a peek at some of the evidence: Speaking of hats we have a variety of winter warmers for you big fellas out there, but I digress.

Giant Skeletons

If there were giants, where are the skeletons? you ask… They were found. All over the world – from the US to Romania and China. There just doesn’t seem to be any discoveries in recent years, and the old bones from past excavations have ‘mysteriously’ disappeared.

There is very credible documented evidence that giant skeletons were found across America in the late 1800s. In New England, skeletons unearthed in ancient burial mounds were measured at between 7ft and 10ft tall. Well-respected newspapers reported these findings at the time, which points to the credibility of their source. In fact, there are several documented findings of giant skeletons from all over America in the past, with most reports coming from the turn of the 19th century. There is also evidence that the bones of giants measuring over 2m in height were found in tombs across Sardinia. This was covered in an episode of TV’s Forbidden History – called ‘The Mystery of the Giants’.

Was this just fanciful thinking by the esteemed scientists at the time? Did they not know how to take simple measurements back then, or were they just ‘having a laugh’?

Here at Big Tee Shirt, we’re pretty hot on getting our big and tall measurements right, so all our big and tall guys look the part.

Giant humanoid bones have also been found in other countries. In Romania, for example, there are numerous reports of ginormous human remains being unearthed as recently as the 1970s, including those reportedly up to a neck-craning 16ft in height. Some of those measured had leg bones which were 6ft in length alone. Our extra long trousers lengths don’t quite stretch to that yet, but we do stock in leg lengths up to 37ins.

Megalithic sites

Even now, thousands of years later, modern thinkers, engineers and scientists cannot come up with a definitive answer as to how ancient man was able to build some of the most jaw-dropping megalithic sites around the world.

In Peru, a site called Sacsayhuaman (pronounced ‘sexy h-woman’, wink wink) displays mind-blowing skills and strength. Its huge stones, weighing up to 200 tonnes EACH have been used to build the wall of a fortress. But if their weight alone was not impressive enough, these stones have been cut, shaped and fitted together with such precision to appear almost like a ginormous stone jigsaw. We can imagine for everyone that has stood in front if this vast structure and marvelled at its size and skill, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that it was a race of super-strength giants behind it.

The megalithic sites around the world are numerous, from the more familiar Great Pyramid of Egypt, Stonehenge and the Easter Island statues, to the lesser known sites of Puma Punku in Bolivia with its bizarre H shaped carved blocks weighing several tonnes each and with precise inter-locking features. This latter site pre-dates the Incas, with some who have examined the stones, dating them to as far back as 15,000BC due to their astronomical alignments.

Over at the ancient site of Baalbek, in Lebanon, stone blocks used in the construction of the foundations of the Temple of Jupiter weigh up to 800 tonnes each. Baalbek has undergone various points of semi-destruction through history, being the site of various battles, and re-building work by successive civilisations, including the Romans. But there is a very credible argument that the original megalithic parts of the site have its origins many thousands of years before civilisation as we know it began. Is it possible that Baalbek goes back, way back, to a forgotten time in earth’s history –  between our current understanding of recorded history – and the prehistory of the dinosaurs, when giants ruled the earth? These are just some of the many sites around the world that display almost impossible feats of human engineering – which some attribute to the intervention of giants.

A Cover-Up?

A conspiracy theory around the subject of this lost race of giants points to speculation that the bones of these skeletons always mysteriously disappeared once official organisations got involved.

There are some reports suggesting that during the 19th century, the Smithsonian museum in America was very keen to purchase the bones of giants found by civilians-only for them to never see the light again. There is a similar story in Sardinia – with farmers in more modern times uncovering massive bones and teeth and handing them over to the authorities, only to hear nothing more about them.

… In Romania, a site where several giant human bones were found (called the Hyperborean Gallery) was later permanently sealed, as authorities deemed the discovery too explosive and shocking. New Discoveries Re-writing the History of Humankind.

It was just a mere eight years ago that scientists finally acknowledged a different race of humans known as the Denisovans, who existed alongside Neanderthals and modern humans.

This race of human, found in the frozen caves of Siberia, was not thought to be massive in stature – but had huge teeth. All that has been found of the Denisovans is a tiny pea-sized fragment of the finger bone and two teeth. Yet it has been enough to give scientists a shred of DNA to finally say with certainty this was a previously unknown race of human. And just three years ago, scientists announced yet another new human species – homo Naledi – tiny-brained people with ape-like shoulders who lived in South Africa. So finding new species of humanoids is not unheard of – and perhaps it is just a matter of time until someone finds a piece of a big bone or a massive molar that modern science cannot ignore.

Maybe it’s time scientists started thinking about adding a new branch to the human family tree… but what would they name these giants? We’re taking bets they get called ‘Homo Gigantus’