The skeletons were unusually large for their time.
The skeletons were unusually large for their time. Screenshot via Asiawire

In eastern China, 5,000 years ago, some of the people who lived there were unusually tall—giant, even, compared to most people living at that time.

Archaeologists excavating a settlement in what’s now Shandong province have found 205 graves, and many of the men buried there would have been around 5’10” in height. One skeleton belonged to a man who would have been close to 6’3”, according to Xinhua News.

These heights aren’t as unusual today, but in 3,000 B.C., these men would have towered over everyone else. The people living in this area had a rich diet of millet and pigs, which could have helped them grow tall.

Even today, though, people from this area of the country pride themselves on their height: on average, people here about an inch taller than people in the rest of China, The Independent notes. Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher, came from this area of the country and was said to be 6’3”.