Makhunik: the Iranian city of the world's smallest humans?
An ancient village in the south of Khorasan province (Iran), the city of the smallest humans in the world, amazes with its extremely small size. In 2005, not far from the miniature city, the body of an individual measuring just 25 cm was found.
On this journals I have often talked about giant human beings who, according to some indications, inhabited our planet in a remote time. However, despite the great literature on giants, little if any convincing archaeological evidence has ever been shown to the general public.
Different case, however, for "dwarf" human beings. A few years ago, the discovery of a fossilized body of a small human species, renamed Homo floresiensis caused a sensation. Lived 13 thousand years ago, he was just over one meter tall and with a cranial capacity of 380 cm3, much smaller not only compared to his contemporaries, but also to all the known hominids that preceded Homo sapiens.
Even more surprising was the later discovery of an ancient Iranian village in the south of Khorasan province, known as Makhunik, which shows the characteristics of a true "city of the dwarves".
Located about 100 kilometers east of the Shahdad district, the remains of the ancient settlement are reminiscent of the descriptions of the city of Liliput contained in Jonathan Swift's famous novel, Gulliver's Travels.
The ancient city of Makhunik (Makhoonik) was part of the territory of the Aratta civilization and dwarf humans occupied it in 6 thousand BC. The size of its occupants can be deduced from the size of the city.
However, supporting the hypothesis that the occupants of Makhunik belong to the smallest human species ever found was the discovery of a mummified body measuring just 25 centimeters. It was discovered near the area in 2005. The corpse was found by two smugglers who were planning to sell the mummy for around $3 million in Germany.
Archaeologists believe that mummification occurred thanks to natural processes. Forensic analyzes allowed the individual's age to be estimated at around 16-17 years at the time of death.
When the body was seen and analyzed for the first time, archaeologists believed that it was simply the mummified remains of an individual suffering from dwarfism: "Although it is proven that the corpse belongs to a dwarf, we cannot conclude for certain that the region of its discovery hosts a city of dwarves,” said at that time Dr. Javadi, archaeologist of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of the province of Kerman.
However, the discovery of the miniature city of Makhunik made researchers more optimistic. “A significant aspect of the discovery is the strange architecture of the houses, alleys and equipment,” reveal the researchers. “The walls, ceiling, ovens, shelves and everything else could only have been used by dwarves.”
But not all the scientific community agrees on this conclusion: “The archaeological excavations carried out over 38 years in the Shahdad region deny the existence of any dwarf population. The remaining houses have walls 80 cm high, but were originally 190 cm. Some remaining walls are only 5 cm high, so should we conclude that the people living in these houses were 5 cm tall?”, comments Mirabedin Kaboli, head of the archaeological excavations in Shahdad city.
What, then, can we conclude about Makhunik and the little mummy? It seems that much of the media coverage of the discoveries has been spurred largely by legends. Yet, it is curious that tales about men of small stature exist not only in Iran, but in many cultures around the world.
It appears that much of the media reporting regarding the case has been spurred by rumor and misrepresented through sensationalism. It seems more likely, the mummy is the naturally preserved remains of a child, as anthropological studies have revealed. However, it is curious that legends of the “little people” do not only exist in Iran, but can be found in many cultures around the world.
According to Dr. Susan Martinez, author of "The Story of the Little People", an ancient species of men of small stature may have actually inhabited the Earth in the past. The reference is to numerous stories and legends from many cultures, such as the dwarf gods of Mexico and Peru, the Menhune of Hawaii, the Nunnehi of the Cherokee.
But the researcher also refers to fascinating archaeological discoveries, such as networks of tiny tunnels, small coffins, low doors and very small huts. Is it possible that Makhunik's discovery adds to the list of clues to the existence of dwarf humans?
