The six foot one Pharaoh who could be the world's oldest case of Gigantism
An Egyptian pharaoh who ruled 4,700 years ago, could be the world's oldest case of gigantism found, archaeologists have revealed.
At six foot one the skeleton, believed to belong to King Sanakht who ruled during the third Dynasty, would have towered over the average Egyptian who was on average five foot four.
Researchers say, the strange find could be due to gigantism, a hormonal condition that results in abnormal, excessive growth.
In an article published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, Francesco Galassi, from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and colleagues reveal the find.
They analyzed skeletal remains first discovered in 1901 in the Mastaba K2 tomb near Beit Khallaf, around 70 miles northwest of Luxor.
'The remains are of a very tall man, (about 187cm, or six feet one), and are attributed to King Sanakht, who was an ephemeral king of Egypt during the 3rd Dynasty,' the researchers wrote.
The skeleton's long bones showed evidence of 'exuberant growth,' which are 'clear signs of gigantism,' they concluded.
This is far taller than other Egyptians at the time, who would have been closer to 5 foot 4 inches, on average.
While it is unclear who the tomb belonged to, relief fragments bearing Sanakht's name led people to believe it belonged to this little-known king.
'It is far from certain whether the remains are really those of King Sanakht, but for the medical assessment of potential gigantism this case has a great value, as it could be the oldest known case,' the experts wrote.
Gigantism is a rare condition that causes abnormal growth.
This change is most notable in terms of height, and occurs due to a non-cancerous tumor on the pituitary gland, that creates too much growth hormone.
'The alleged Sanakht probably had gigantism, truly being the oldest known palaeopathological case in the world,' the researchers say.
'In ancient times, no surgical ,or pharmaceutical treatment would be available; therefore, regression could only have resulted from degeneration of the pituitary gland. Infarction, a known clinical phenomenon in the modern world, could have occurred.
'The fact that he was buried with honours in an elite mastaba-tomb, after reaching adulthood, suggests that gigantism at the time was probably not associated with social margination.
'While short people were much preferred in ancient Egypt, especially in the early dynastic period, we have no records that very tall people had any special social preference or disadvantage.
'From all known royal mummies, no other king or queen fulfils the requirement of gigantism.
'In general, they were taller than commoners, but within the normal range.'
Ramesses the second, the tallest recorded ancient Egyptian pharaoh, who lived more than 1,000 years, after Sanakht was only about 5 feet 9 inches tall.