Did Ancient Egypt Record Biblical Giants? A 3,300-year-old text raises new questions.
A 3,300-year-old Egyptian manuscript held by the British Museum has once again found itself at the center of a debate over whether Biblical references to giants were rooted in historical encounters rather than myth.
The document, known as Anastasi I, has been in the museum’s collection since 1839 but has attracted renewed attention after light was recently shed on it.
Associate for Biblical Research A faith-based research group in the United States.
The papyrus, dating from the 13th century BC, is a letter written by an Egyptian scribe named Hori to another scribe, Amenemope. It describes the dangers of travel and war, including an encounter with a group called the Shosu.
According to the text, some of these people were described as measuring “four cubits, or five, from head to toe,” a height that, using the standard Egyptian cubit of about 20 inches, would place them between approximately six feet eight inches and eight feet six inches tall.
Biblical parallels and scholarly skepticism
Proponents of the Biblical link also point to the broader context of Genesis chapter six, which presents the Nephilim as central to the moral fall preceding the story of Noah and the flood.
The passage describes the Nephilim as “mighty, famous men of ancient times” who were born when God saw that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth. “
, leading to the decision to purify creation through the waters of the flood, sparing only Noah and those with him in the ark.
In this text, the giants are not a footnote but part of the explanation of why the flood occurred.
The theme comes up again in Numbers 13:33, where Israelite scouts report encountering “the sons of Anak”, stating,
“We were in our sight as locusts, and so we were in their sight,” reinforcing the idea that unusually large and fearsome figures were remembered as shaping early Biblical history.
Ancient text or exaggerated warning?
Anastasi’s first letter states: “The narrow dirt is infected with shosu hidden under the bushes; some of them are four hands or five hands from head to toe, fierce in the face, their hearts are not soft, and they do not listen to coaxing.”
Researchers at the Associates for Biblical Research argue that this passage is important because the letter emphasises accuracy and real-world dangers, suggesting that it was not intended as fiction.
Other ancient Egyptian sources sometimes cited alongside it include execution texts, which mention “the people of Anak”, and reliefs from the Battle of Kadesh that depict Shoshu figures as unusually large.
However, many historians and Biblical scholars urge caution. Critics argue that Anastasi I is widely understood as a satirical or prescriptive text, with Horus mocking Amenemope’s lack of knowledge of geography and military logistics rather than recording literal ethnography.
According to the Daily Mail, the late scholar Dr Michael Heiser and others said that heights of up to seven or eight feet, though rare, do occur among humans today and require no supernatural explanation.
Mainstream historians identify the Shosu as a nomadic group from the Levant and emphasise that there is no archaeological evidence, such as skeletal remains or sizable dwellings, to support the existence of a race of giants.
The British Museum itself regards the papyrus as a historical document reflecting aspects of military life and travel in the ancient Near East and does not draw conclusions about biblical giants.
As with many ancient texts, the debate ultimately rests on interpretation and on how much importance should be given to a single suggestive line written three millennia ago.
