Step into the world of ancient explorers and eccentric imaginings with the legend of the Macrocephali—the “Big-Headed People” who haunted the edges of Greco-Roman maps. Were they monsters, marvels, or just misunderstood travelers from lands unknown? In this episode, we peel back the layers of myth, folklore, and early pseudo-science to uncover why these bizarre, bulbous-headed figures became icons of the mysterious “other” for centuries. Discover how the Macrocephali reflected the fears, fantasies, and boundless curiosity of those who wondered what lay just beyond the reach of their world—and why, even without magical powers, they’ve stuck in the collective imagination as symbols of the strange and unexplored.
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