Archaeology has a way of resurfacing inconvenient details just when modern skepticism feels most confident. A renewed examination of the Egyptian Anastasi I papyrus—dated to the 13th century BC and preserved in the British Museum—has reopened discussion about the existence of unusually large, fearsome people groups in the ancient Near East. The papyrus describes encounters with the Shasu, nomadic inhabitants of the Levant, whose recorded height of four to five Egyptian cubits places them well over six-and-a-half feet tall, with some estimates exceeding eight feet. In an era when the average man stood barely over five feet, such figures would have been extraordinary and terrifying, not mythical exaggerations but real threats to travelers and armies.

What makes the account striking is its specificity. Written as a military-style warning letter from the scribe Hori to another official, the document references precise terrain, tactical dangers, and the intimidating stature of these adversaries. While some dismiss the letter as satirical, parody rarely relies on exact measurements and logistical detail. The Shasu are portrayed as fierce, hidden along narrow mountain passes, and capable of deadly ambush. These are the kinds of details associated with intelligence briefings, not folklore. When set alongside other Egyptian and Canaanite references to large warrior clans, the papyrus reads less like metaphor and more like corroboration of an ancient reality long recorded in Scripture.

This matters prophetically because it reinforces the biblical worldview that history includes supernatural and extraordinary elements modern culture is eager to dismiss. Genesis, Numbers, and Deuteronomy describe giants inhabiting the land before Israel—figures tied to rebellion, corruption, and divine judgment. The reappearance of extra-biblical testimony strengthens confidence that the biblical record preserves authentic history, not legend. In an age that scoffs at angels, judgment, and spiritual warfare, reminders like this underscore a larger truth: the Bible’s account of the past frames the spiritual battle that still defines the present and points toward the ultimate resolution yet to come. The same Word that recorded the days of giants also warns of deception in the last days, calling believers to discernment, not dismissal.

SOURCE: Israel365News