severed large hands Egypt
© ArcheologyNews
Thousands of severed large hands found in palace in Egypt.
While excavating a 3,600-year-old palace in the once-great city of Avaris, Egypt, a team of archaeologists unearthed four pits. What's in the pits? It's hands. There are no bodies - just a bunch of dismembered hands. Most of the hands are quite large and some of them are very large, further signifying that they were all taken from adult males, and possibly that ancient Egypt was full of giants.

These 4 ancient hand recycling bins were found in the palace of King Khayan of the Hyksos, a West Asian people who once ruled over part of Northern Egypt - 2 in an outer portion of the palace and 2 just outside the throne room, indicating some ceremonial importance.

So, like, what the hell?

Actually, these large to very large hands are the very first physical evidence archaeologists have found of a practice that's widely represented in ancient Egyptian art.

giant hands buried ancient Egyptian palace
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Hands of giants found buried in pits in ancient Egyptian palace.
Soldiers would lop off the right hands of their enemies and present them to their leaders, who would ceremoniously toss the hands into a pit and then unceremoniously toss each soldier a wealth of gold in exchange.
severed large hands ancient Egypt
© ArcheologyNews
The mystery of severed large hands in ancient Egypt.
By taking the right hand, you were symbolically stealing the source of your enemy's power and literally stealing 50 percent of his ability to flip you off.

chopped off hands enemy soldiers Egypt
© ArcheologyNews
This image was created about 400 years after the Avaris hands were deposited. It shows the chopped-off hands of enemy soldiers being prepared for Ramses III, a pharaoh of Egypt, after a successful campaign.
So were those soldiers large to very large men, some sorts of GIANTS? That's interesting and appropriately brutal and all.