Mystery of missing bones in cyclopean structures

A major puzzle: No human bones have ever been found inside these structures. The elephant skull theory for the Cyclops legend — proposed by Adrienne Mayor — suggests ancient Greeks may have encountered elephant skulls and misinterpreted the large nasal cavity as a single eye socket. Research supports this interpretation, noting that "huge fossil bones or skeletons, largely referable to Pleistocene mammals, have been interpreted in several countries as the remains of the mythological giants." However, scholar Adrienne Mayor's research actually demonstrates that Greeks and Romans had extensive knowledge of elephants, not limited understanding. References to elephant warfare involving Pyrrhus and Hannibal come from later periods (Hellenistic and Roman eras), but the Greeks had contact with elephants through trade and warfare much earlier than commonly assumed. The absence of expected human remains in certain Mycenaean-era structures does raise questions about who built them and why.