The giants in Greek mythology were described as living, breathing, mortal beings whose bones could still be found emerging from the earth where they had been buried in antiquity. Throughout fact, enormous, remarkably human-like bones have still been discovered in Greece. These bones, according to contemporary experts, are those of extinct mammals from the area, including woolly rhinoceroses, mastodons, and mammoths.
However, these big animals were mostly unknown to the ancient Greeks, and many of them thought the enormous bones they discovered were the remains of giants that resembled humans. Any nonhuman characteristics found in the bones were believed to be the result of gigantic physical features.
The residents of Tingis (modern-day Tangier, Morocco) often bragged that a giant named Antaeus who was buried in a mound south of the city was the city’s creator. Roman soldiers drilled through the mound in 81 BC to verify the allegation. They were shocked to find a massive skeleton, which they reburied with much ceremony. Ancient elephant fossils are widespread in the region, according to contemporary scientists.