Teutobochus: Difference between revisions
Successive analysis in XVIIth, XIXth and XXth Centuries. |
m small mistake |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
In 1869 W.A. Seaver wrote: "In times more modern (1613), some masons digging near the ruins of a castle in [[Dauphiné]], in a field which by tradition had long been called 'The Giant's Field,' at a depth of 18 feet discovered a brick tomb 30 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 8 feet high, on which was a gray stone with the words 'Theutobochus Rex' cut thereon. When the tomb was opened they found a human skeleton entire, 25-1/2 feet long, 10 feet wide across the shoulders, and 5 feet deep from the breast to the back. His teeth were about the size of an ox's foot, and his shin-bone measured 4 feet in length."<ref>W.A. Seaver, "Giants and Dwarfs", ''Harper's New Monthly Magazine'', 39:202-210, 1869.</ref> |
In 1869 W.A. Seaver wrote: "In times more modern (1613), some masons digging near the ruins of a castle in [[Dauphiné]], in a field which by tradition had long been called 'The Giant's Field,' at a depth of 18 feet discovered a brick tomb 30 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 8 feet high, on which was a gray stone with the words 'Theutobochus Rex' cut thereon. When the tomb was opened they found a human skeleton entire, 25-1/2 feet long, 10 feet wide across the shoulders, and 5 feet deep from the breast to the back. His teeth were about the size of an ox's foot, and his shin-bone measured 4 feet in length."<ref>W.A. Seaver, "Giants and Dwarfs", ''Harper's New Monthly Magazine'', 39:202-210, 1869.</ref> |
||
Although the anatomist [[Jean Riolan the Younger]] ascribed the bones to an elephant or a whale, the legend of the giant king spread. Two centuries later, the zoologist [[Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville]] analyzed the bones and concluded they came from a [[ |
Although the anatomist [[Jean Riolan the Younger]] ascribed the bones to an elephant or a whale, the legend of the giant king spread. Two centuries later, the zoologist [[Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville]] analyzed the bones and concluded they came from a [[mastodon]]. Finally in the 1980's, the paleontologist [[Léonard Ginsburg]] analyzed a plaster mold from Paris' [[Muséum national d'histoire naturelle]], that came from the giant bones, and identified a [[deinotherium]]. The current location of the bones remains unknown.<ref>Pierre Barthélémy, http://passeurdesciences.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/01/13/teutobochus-le-geant-qui-nen-etait-pas-un/</ref> |
||
Since bones of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals were unknown in 1613, it would seem that the bones of some such animal, found in historical times, was wrongly attributed as the remains of the legendary giant, and buried in a tomb bearing the giant's name. |
Since bones of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals were unknown in 1613, it would seem that the bones of some such animal, found in historical times, was wrongly attributed as the remains of the legendary giant, and buried in a tomb bearing the giant's name. |
||
Revision as of 08:45, 14 January 2013
Teutobochus was a legendary giant and king of the Teutons. Large bones discovered in 1613 were claimed to be his skeleton.
In 1869 W.A. Seaver wrote: "In times more modern (1613), some masons digging near the ruins of a castle in Dauphiné, in a field which by tradition had long been called 'The Giant's Field,' at a depth of 18 feet discovered a brick tomb 30 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 8 feet high, on which was a gray stone with the words 'Theutobochus Rex' cut thereon. When the tomb was opened they found a human skeleton entire, 25-1/2 feet long, 10 feet wide across the shoulders, and 5 feet deep from the breast to the back. His teeth were about the size of an ox's foot, and his shin-bone measured 4 feet in length."[1]
Although the anatomist Jean Riolan the Younger ascribed the bones to an elephant or a whale, the legend of the giant king spread. Two centuries later, the zoologist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville analyzed the bones and concluded they came from a mastodon. Finally in the 1980's, the paleontologist Léonard Ginsburg analyzed a plaster mold from Paris' Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, that came from the giant bones, and identified a deinotherium. The current location of the bones remains unknown.[2]
Since bones of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals were unknown in 1613, it would seem that the bones of some such animal, found in historical times, was wrongly attributed as the remains of the legendary giant, and buried in a tomb bearing the giant's name.
See also
References
- ^ W.A. Seaver, "Giants and Dwarfs", Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 39:202-210, 1869.
- ^ Pierre Barthélémy, http://passeurdesciences.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/01/13/teutobochus-le-geant-qui-nen-etait-pas-un/
 | This article relating to a European folklore is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |