Medieval GIANTESS is found in a Polish cemetery: 7ft 2in woman had a traumatic life full of disease and injury
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Archaeologists in Poland were in for a surprise when they discovered the skeleton of a medieval woman, with a towering height of 7 foot 2 inches.
The mysterious skeleton was found just outside a church of the Ostrów Lednicki stronghold in Poland.
The proportion of her body suggests the woman was a giantess, and researchers have said the woman lived a short life full of traumatic injuries and disease.
Archaeologists in Poland were in for a surprise when they discovered the skeleton of a medieval woman, with a towering height of 7 foot 2. She also had acromegaly, a condition that makes the bones of the head particularly large
The skeleton, estimated to date to between the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 14thcentury, was first discovered in 1977.
But details of the woman it belonged to have just been release in a new book, called 'New Developments in the Bioarchaeology of Care.'
While all other burials in the cemetery were made with the head facing west, this woman's head was facing in the opposite direction.
The positioning of her body in the grave was also strange, with her right arm and left bent, rather than fully extended.
Magda Matczak, author of the book, wrote: 'The unusual burial orientation, disposal of the body without care, and lack of grave goods may indicate that this woman belonged to a lower social stratum.'
But the most notable thing about the woman is her staggering height of 7 feet 2 inches (215.5 centimetres).
Her bones were normally proportioned, suggesting she suffered from gigantism – a condition caused by an over-production of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.
She also had acromegaly, a condition that makes the bones of the head particularly large.
With gigantism and acromegaly come a wealth of other health issues, which could be seen in the woman.
Her spine showed evidence of degenerative joint disease, which was probably a result of her height and body weight.
Evidence of a broken arm and leg at some point in her lifetime could also be seen, as a result of weak bones.
Small nodes on her ribs also suggest that she suffered from pleurisy, a lung inflammation condition.
While all other burials in the cemetery were made with the head facing west, this woman's head was found to be facing in the opposite direction. The positioning of her body in the grave was also strange, with her right arm and left bent, rather than fully extended
The mysterious skeleton was found just outside a church of the Ostrów Lednicki stronghold in Poland. Other strange finds at the cemetery include a person with dwarfism, and a woman with leprosy
Other conditions associated with gigantism and acromegaly include skin changes, psychiatric problems and diabetes, and while these could not be detected from her skeleton, the researchers believe there is a high chance she suffered with these.
'We know that it is hazardous to speculate about the emotional state of a past individual when we have only her bones to guide us,' Ms Matczak wrote.
'However, based on modern clinical findings we feel justified in suggesting that the woman with gigantism may have felt any one, or more, of the following at different times, or even concurrently: irritability, anxiety, emotional liability, uncertainty, confusion, sadness, and anger.'
Before the 19th century, gigantism was not a well-known condition.
Speaking to Forbes, Francesco Galassi, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich, said the find 'expands our limited knowledge of the evolution of the morphology of these two incapacitating and stigmatising conditions.'
Other strange finds at the cemetery include a person with dwarfism, and a woman with leprosy.
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