Archeologists Discover Head of Roman Statue in Egyptian Tomb
Archeologists recently discovered the stone head of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in an Egyptian temple known as Kom Ombo, situated along the Nile.
The temple was built somewhere around 180 B.C.E. and was dedicated to the Egyptian gods Horus and Sobek.
Located in the city of Aswan, the marble head was found when archeologists were lowering groundwater levels in a 50 ft. well, thought to have been used to gauge readings of the Nile during antiquity. The expedition also found another statue, though it has yet to be identified.
The marble head bears the distinct features of Marcus Aurelius, who ruled Rome between 161 to 180 A.D. The statue depicts Aurelius’ distinct beard, moustache, and curly head of hair.
Stone Head of Marcus Aurelius via egypindependent.com
The Kom Ombo temple was built during the Ptolemaic Dynasty, a Hellenistic family that ruled Egypt from 305 to 30 BCE. Though they were originally Greek, the Ptolemies adopted Egyptian traditions and culture, until the kingdom was eventually conquered by the Roman Empire.
Experts said the find was rare as it’s incredibly uncommon to find remnants of a Roman statue in Egypt. Similar finds from ancient Egypt have been made in disparate areas, adding to the mystery of how far the culture reached.
Another exceptional find was made in close proximity at the ancient temple of Karnak in the city of Luxor. There, archeologists discovered artifacts and a shrine devoted to the Egyptian god Osiris-Ptah-Neb. Shrines to Osiris have been found in northern and eastern areas of the temple, but this find in a southern location was unprecedented.
There has been evidence that ancient Egyptians may have traveled extensively across the globe. This includes a report of Smithsonian archeologists discovering Egyptian artifacts in the Grand Canyon; the presence of cocaine and tobacco found in the bodies of Egyptian mummies; and hieroglyphs found in Australia.
Researchers including John Anthony West and Robert Schoch devoted much of their careers toward proving alternative theories about the ancient Egyptians, such as the Sphinx water erosion hypothesis that has become an increasingly accepted theory.
Other mysteries such as those involving previously unknown tunnels and chambers in the Great Pyramid at Giza continue to baffle archeologists as mainstream stalwarts of Egyptology constantly push back, attempting to maintain traditional narratives.
About the Author
The Real History of Giants Living on Earth
Humans have long expressed a fascination and fear around the question, “Were there giants on Earth?” Whether in legends or life, giants have been worshipped, reviled, ostracized, and celebrated. While the existence of dinosaurs is largely accepted, and millions of people travel across continents to marvel at majestic, larger-than-life monuments, the facts about human giants or giant races are up for debate. Regardless of whether they are dismissed as a myth or accepted as fact, giants represent important aspects of our individual and collective psyche. They capture our imagination, appear in religious texts, and drive scientific inquiry. But the question still remains — did giants once roam the earth?
Proof of Giants Throughout History
The concept of giants has been a part of human folklore and mythological narratives for millennia, resonating through various cultures and continents, from the Americas to Africa and from ancient Israel to the Norse. In the Americas, both North and South have indigenous legends speaking of giant beings, some even overlapping with interpretations of megafauna like mastodons that once roamed the land. The Native American tales often include references to a race of giants, which could be considered a cultural memory of these large prehistoric animals.
In Biblical Text
The biblical references, such as those found in the Book of Genesis, speak of the Nephilim, a race of giants that existed before the Flood. These beings have been subject to much interpretation, with some considering them metaphorical while others believe in their literal existence. David’s battle against Goliath is one of the most iconic stories of a human overcoming a giant from the Bible.
Around the World
From Africa to Germany, as well as in the Norse traditions of Europe, tales of giants are common, often tied to the creation myths and early histories of peoples. Native American folklore across various tribes frequently speaks of giants, who are depicted as powerful spirits or ancestors that roamed the land, some of whom interacted with the people, teaching or challenging them. In Egyptian mythology, the giant Geb, the god of the Earth, was often depicted as a colossal figure whose laughter was believed to cause earthquakes and whose body formed the hills and valleys of ancient Egypt. Perhaps no culture is more richly intertwined with tales of giants than that of the Greeks, from the gods of Olympus to their offspring, such as the Cyclops.
Giant Skeletal Remains
The Smithsonian Institution in the United States, along with other scientific bodies, has been involved in the study of large humanoid bones that have been discovered, often shrouded in mystery and sometimes labeled as hoaxes. Newspaper articles from the 19th and early 20th centuries in New York and California frequently featured stories of giant skeletons unearthed, fueling speculation about ancient giants on Earth.
Extraterrestrial Theories
Theories about ancient aliens, as seen in various full episodes of Beyond Belief or popular documentaries, sometimes suggest that these giants were extraterrestrial visitors, while others propose that they were simply larger human beings that lived in ancient times.
Skepticism remains high, with many of these stories considered hoaxes or misinterpretations of archaeological findings. The search for evidence continues, with enthusiasts combing through books, historical newspaper articles, and religious texts like the Christian Bible and the Book of Enoch for clues.
Modern Giants, A Brief Look at Gigantism
Merriam-Webster defines a giant as being a “legendary humanlike being of great stature and strength,” as well as “a living being of great size.” In physical terms, a giant is a person over seven feet tall with a condition known as “gigantism.” The tallest person documented in modern history was Robert Wadlow (1918-1940), known as the “Alton Giant,” or the “Giant of Illinois,” who stood 8 feet 11 inches tall.
Robert Wadlow, the Alton Giant
Wadlow intended to study law but lived as a celebrity after traveling with the Ringling Brothers Circus and as a spokesman for giant-sized shoes. He died at a young age, an all too common end for those with gigantism — their weight and size put constant strain on the heart and skeletal system.
Today, genetic giants are gaining acceptance because, overall, humans have evolved into a taller species. According to Max Roser, an economist studying global standards of living conditions, between 1810 and 1980, European male height grew from an average of 160 centimeters to 185 centimeters. But despite this acceptance, giants can still find life in a normal-sized world stressful and lonely and, like Wadlow, are treated as an oddity. This contradiction doesn’t exactly mirror how giant races have been regarded throughout history.
Did Giants Live on Earth?
In the realm of archaeology and anthropology, there is no credible evidence to suggest that a race of giants once inhabited the Earth. The large bones sometimes purported to be from giants have typically been identified as belonging to prehistoric animals like dinosaurs or mammoths.
However, tales of giant humans across the earth, whether rooted in mythology, religion, or speculative history, continue to intrigue us. From America to Africa, and from the annals of the Smithsonian to the pages of the Christian Bible, the concept of giants weaves a complex tapestry of intrigue, belief, and scholarly curiosity. Whether these stories emerge from real giants or are simply metaphors within cultural histories, they remain a compelling part of our collective narrative.
