The Giant Skeleton Photographs
Photos went around the world of archaeologists uncovering a skeleton many metres long, said to be a giant from ancient legend.
What was reported
From about 2004, photographs were shared widely by email and later on social media showing archaeologists crouching beside an enormous human skeleton half-buried in the ground. The captions said it had been found in northern India, and linked it to Ghatotkacha, a giant warrior of the Mahabharata, or to other giants of legend.
Some versions claimed that a famous geographic society had confirmed the discovery and that the authorities were covering it up.
Explanations offered
The images were altered photographs. One began as an entry in a 2002 online contest for creating archaeological fakes. The society named in the captions said it had never made any such discovery. Versions of the photo are still shared today, with new captions.
- When
- Circulated from 2004
- Where
- Northern India (as claimed)
- Witnesses
- Millions of people who shared the photos online
- Status
- Hoax
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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