Dwarf Mammoths and Hobbits can make a case for great variablity in the past for genes that control size. Relative differences in height could very well lead to accurately describe the barbarians as "giants." Don't accept that this is source of "giants" in all situations.

The medical problems of contemporary 'giants' is part of the hormonal malfunction that resulted in their abnormal growth--marfan's syndrome, etc.

True giants would have had the muscle and skeletal changes required to support the higher level of pressure from the increased leverage of longer limbs on joints, vertibrae, etc.

IMHO there was likely a greater amount of genetic variablity in the past. This is based more on historical interpretation than genetics. Small populations that managed to combine good nutrition with rare genes to grow taller than others were a possibility.

Note that good nutition is not the same as 'enough to survive'. For a long time horses survived as pony sized animals. More current size horses (esp War Horses) derived from selective breeding and better nutrition; but cannot survive without being fed grain. They need the calories to support their size.

Same situation might have been true of humans at some point. The mythology of giants is widespread. They are not all Norse. Heard something about a man (and his four brothers) named Goliath....

Am curious, what is your source that Roman period Norseman toward over Romans?






Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2011 11:51AM by marehart.