  The current consensus is that galaxies begin as small density fluctuations in
the early Universe and grow by in situ star formation and hierarchical merging.
Stars begin to form relatively quickly in sub-galactic sized building blocks
called haloes which are subsequently assembled into galaxies. However, exactly
when this assembly takes place is a matter of some debate. Here we report that
the stellar masses of brightest cluster galaxies, which are the most luminous
objects emitting stellar light, some 9 billion years ago are not significantly
different from their stellar masses today. Brightest cluster galaxies are
almost fully assembled 4-5 Gyrs after the Big Bang, having grown to more than
90% of their final stellar mass by this time. Our data conflict with the most
recent galaxy formation models based on the largest simulations of dark matter
halo development. These models predict protracted formation of brightest
cluster galaxies over a Hubble time, with only 22% of the stellar mass
assembled at the epoch probed by our sample. Our findings suggest a new picture
in which brightest cluster galaxies experience an early period of rapid growth
rather than prolonged hierarchical assembly.
