In 2016, an excavation at a late Neolithic settlement in Jiaojia, a village in Shandong province, China, unveiled a fascinating discovery of a group of unusually tall individuals who lived around 5,000 years ago. These ancient “giants” stood out in history, hinting at the potential future growth trends of the human race.
The tomb of a high-ranking individual, featuring pottery and other items.
The Excavation and Significant Findings
The excavation, led by researchers from Shandong University, unearthed a plethora of intriguing artifacts at Jiaojia. According to China’s state-run news agency Xinhua, the site revealed 104 houses, 205 graves, and 20 sacrificial pits. This area, a late Neolithic burial ground, was inhabited by the Longshan culture, also known as the “black pottery culture,” which thrived from around 3000 to 1900 BC.
It is believed that the Yellow River basin is the place where the Chinese ethnos was formed and developed.
Analysis of the skeletons found during the excavation showed that these ancient people were unusually tall—many exceeding 180 centimeters. The tallest man discovered measured approximately 192 centimeters. Compared to the average height of Neolithic men (about 167 centimeters) and women (about 155 centimeters), these individuals were truly “giants” of their time.
Reasons Behind Unusual Height
Pottery and jade items were found at the site.
Scientists suggest that the unusual height of these individuals could be attributed to both genetic and environmental factors. Remarkably, height remains a defining characteristic of people in Shandong today. Data from 2015 indicates that the average height of 18-year-old men in the region is 179 centimeters, 5 centimeters taller than the national average.
Fang Hui, the head of Shandong University’s school of history and culture and a lead researcher of the excavation, noted that the late Neolithic civilization in Jiaojia was engaged in agriculture. This means the villagers had access to a variety of nutritious foods, with millet being a common crop and pigs playing a significant role in animal husbandry. This stable and hearty diet likely influenced the physical proportions of the ancient Chinese, including their height.
Comparison with Other Cultures
One of the unusually tall skeletons unveiled by archaeologists.
Interestingly, the tallest individuals of the Longshan culture were found in tombs, suggesting they belonged to higher social strata and thus had access to better nutrition. Conversely, neighboring communities may not have had as balanced a diet or as favorable environmental conditions, contributing to shorter statures. For instance, some of the smallest prehistoric people were the Central American Mayans, with average heights of 158 centimeters for men and 146 centimeters for women.
The notion that height as a beneficial genetic trait existed long before the Neolithic era and the Longshan people is supported by a recent study by Czech scientists from Masaryk University. They found height genes among the Gravettian culture, Europeans from the late Paleolithic who lived from 50,000 to 10,000 years ago and were mammoth hunters. The tallest among them reached heights of 182 centimeters.
The excavation site.
Pavel Grassgruber, a lead author of the study on the Gravettian culture, stated, “An abundance of high-quality proteins and a low population density created environmental conditions that led to the genetic selection of tall males.”
Factors Influencing Height
While it’s clear that many factors influence human growth—ecology, heredity, various diseases, and so on—the exact reasons why some groups are taller than others remain complex and multifaceted. The study of human growth still has many blind spots due to the numerous variables involved.
The discovery of the ancient “giants” in Jiaojia not only stimulates curiosity but also provides valuable insights into the evolution and development of human physical traits over time. These findings enrich our understanding of the culture and society of ancient peoples and open new avenues for research on the genetic and environmental influences on human height. As scientists continue to analyze these discoveries, we can expect to uncover even more fascinating details about our distant ancestors’ lives.