Decoding giant bones in Italy

The tumor in the pituitary made a boy of Roman times taller than 2 meters, much larger than the average height of the people of the time.

In 1991, Italian archaeologists found an unusual skeleton from Roman times in the graveyard of Fidenae, an ancient city about 8km north of Rome. Back then, archaeologists found that the grave contains a skeleton much longer than other tombs, but they did not pay attention to the detail.

A tibia segment of the giant skeleton (upper) in the ancient city of Fidenae, Italy
and the tibia segment of a Roman man. (Photo: National Geographic)

Recently Simona Minozzi, an ancient disease researcher at the University of Pisa in Italy, and colleagues studied the skeleton and found it belonged to a person with a height of up to 202cm, much larger. compared to the average height of 167cm of Roman people. By examining the skeleton of the skeleton, they found evidence of the existence of a tumor in the pituitary - the cause of the pituitary gland to produce too much growth hormone, National Geographic reported.

The team also found that bone fragments continue to thrive in adulthood. It belongs to the body of a man between the ages of 16 and 20.

"It is very likely that this man died of heart disease or respiratory disease," Minozzi commented.

Charlotte Roberts, an archaeologist at the University of Durham in England, supported Minozzi's conclusion, but she wanted to know more.

"In addition to understanding what causes people to have an oversized body, we should also study the role of outsiders in ancient society," Roberts said.

Minozzi guesses that the ancient Romans enjoyed watching performances of people with unusual bodies - like dwarves or hunchback. Therefore, it is likely that people of extraordinary height also play some role in the entertainment activities of Roman society.