Kent Hovind and the 47" long femur (feat. Joe Taylor)

 

Note: This response is an edited analysis taken from a paper published by the author responding to claims made by a poster created by late young-Earth creationist Joe Taylor. The paper in its entirety can be found here.

CLAIM: In the late 1950s a 47” femur was discovered in Egypt. (Hovind, 2003, 54:45)

RESPONSE: The claim that a nearly 50" human femur was discovered in the Middle East is a claim that originates with the late young-Earth creationist Joe Taylor before it was picked up by fellow young-Earth creationist Kent Hovind in his creation seminars. Both men give a conflicting history of the find, with Hovind claiming that it was found in Egypt, and Taylor alternatively claiming at different times that it was discovered in Turkey, Egypt, and Syria. (Edmonds, 2023, p.2) Taylor also gave conflicting dates for the discovery, without clarifying whether it was found in the 1950s or 1960s. (White, 2015a; 2015b)

Regardless, the only information Taylor ever provided for the femur actually existing is an anonymous letter that he had read thirdhand claiming that such a femur had been found - a letter that not only has several typos and makes several fantastical claims that stretch even alternative archaeology to its limits.* However, the author of the letter does not distinguish as to whether or not an individual 47" femur was discovered, or whether the entire leg (i.e., femur, patella, tibia/fibula) that totaled 47" total was found. (White, 2015a) Despite this, Taylor, Hovind and some other less-mainstream young-Earth creationists have both become slightly infamous within their own circles for circulating photographs of a "cast" Taylor made based on what he thought the femur would look like (i.e., no giant remains were used as reference despite what the sculpted femur might suggest). (Moore, 2017, p.7; White, 2015a) 

Reproductions of Taylor's sculpture and associated images have also floated around the internet over the last two decades, often presented as though an actual giant femur had been recovered, confirmed to be authentic, and cast, when in reality they all trace their origin back to the same unverified source that inspired Taylor's original work (a fact that Taylor, to his credit, readily admitted to when asked about). (Taylor, 2015)

The changing story, lack of an actual femur, and complete lack of corroboration lead to the conclusion that no well-meaning young-Earth creationist should use this speculative sculpture as proof of an undiscovered race of biblical giants.

*  The author of the anonymous letter claims that, in addition to the femur, they also found, “...a few silex arrow heads, etc., from the very battle-field where King Nebuchadnezzar and Pharo-Necho’s (sic.) armies fought…I have lived with my family at Ain-Tell for more than 14 years at the very spot where King Nebuchadnezzar had his headquarters after the battle of Charcamish (sic.), where I dug the graves of kings’ officers and found their skeletons like sponge, and when you touch them they become like white ash, with spears and silex and obsidian tools and ammunition laying by.” It’s unknown if the typos were made by Taylor or the letter’s author. (Taylor, n.d.)

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Edmonds, N. J. (2023) Analyzing the claims made by Joe Taylor and the Mt. Blanco Fossil

Museum regarding the recovery of anomalous giant human remains

dated between 1400 BCE and 1955 CE. SSRN Archaeology, 7(33).

Moore, R. (2017) Discovery Center and Creation Emporium. Reports of the National Center for

Science Education, 37(2), 7.

Taylor, J. (2015, October 21) GIANT HUMAN FEMUR BONE - ANSWERING QUESTIONS. Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum (Archived, The Wayback Machine).

White, A. (2015, January 20) Joe Taylor’s Sculpture of a 47” Femur: What’s the Story? Andy

White Anthropology.

White, A. (2015, December 2) Joe Taylor’s Amazing 47” Femur Sculpture: Has the Story

Changed Again? Andy White Anthropology.