Bog Bodies

Due to the unusual conditions of peat bogs in Northern Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland, bodies preserve remarkably well when they are laid to rest inside the bog. It preserves their skin and internal organs while the bone disintegrates. Consequently, we have unprecedented archaeological remains from the Iron Age. Strangely enough, most of the bog bodies that have been found show evidence of being killed or injured violently in a number of different ways. One of the bog bodies has had his nipples cut off, some are decapitated, some stabbed, some hanged. This may have been ritual for sacrifice or execution for a crime.

The most well-known and well-preserved of these is the Tollund Man who is thought to be over 2000 years old. His remains show that he was hanged to death; he is so well preserved that archaeologists have been able to determine that his last meal was a sort of vegetable seed porridge. His tissues were so well preserved that archaeologists were able to obtain a fingerprint from him, which has come to be one of the oldest fingerprints on record.



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Another interesting specimen from these bogs is the Yde girl from Stijfveen peat bog near the little village of Yde in the Netherlands. She was only 16 when she died from strangulation as a possible sacrifice victim. She was originally very well preserved, however, she deteriorated rapidly after excavation due to poor preservation technology at the time. Her body, hair and face were still intact enough for an archaeologist to complete a reconstruction of her face. There are many more specimens that remain, thanks to the wonderous preservation capabilities of the peat bogs in Northern Europe! Info from here.


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