Bog Bodies

One of the most well known things in archaeology is that some things do not preserve well in certain environments. This is why most of archaeology is based on pottery and stone, because they preserve extremely well. One of the main factors that will determine the preservation of something is its’ environment. There are certain environments preferred because they preserve things very well. Such environments are dry environments, cold environments, and water-logged environments. Particularly with water-logged environments it is important that they be anaerobic, meaning they do not have any oxygen in them. These environments are commonly seen in peat bogs. Peat bogs are perfect for preserving human remains which are called bog bodies. Peat bogs are excellent for preserving human remains more so than other environments because they highly acidic, prevent bacterial growth, and preserve the skin and internal organs of the bodies. Due to the conditions of the peat bogs the bodies’ skin also gets severely tanned. The bog bodies are usually found in Northern Europe.

Some of the most famous bog bodies are Grauballe Man and Tollund man. Grauballe man is from Jutland, Denmark, is 2,300 years old, and is from the Early Iron Age. When he was discovered in 1952 archaeologists saw that his throat was cut and then his body was placed in the bog. The bodies head was also smashed in but it was because of the weight of the peat on the body. Grauballe Man was around 30 years old when he died and was fairly healthy but also had whipworm infection (whipworm eggs were found in his stomach), and badly worn teeth. His last meal before his death was a gruel of weeds seeds and some cereal. Due to the way he died and the deaths of other bogs bodies (the bog bodies frequently show signs of violent deaths and no clothing) he is believed to be a victim of human sacrifice. The lack of oxygen and the high acidity in the bog turned Grauballe Man’s hair red but it is now known that his hair was most likely dark.

Tollund Man is perhaps the utmost famous bog body to ever be discovered. He was discovered two years before Grauball man and in Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula, he lived during the pre-Roman Iron Age. He was found in Bjældskovdal bog and his body was preserved so well that when he was discovered people believed he was a recent murder victim and they called the police. Tollund man was curled up and looked like he was sleeping peacefully in the bog, but then he had a rope around his neck. He wore a cap of sheepskin and wool on his head and a hide belt but the rest of his body was naked. As a rope was found around his neck it was proved he died by hanging and immediately after his death his eyes and mouth were closed and he was placed into the bog. His heart, lungs, brain, and liver were well preserved. Tollund Man was 30-40 years old at the time of his death and the last meal he ate 12-24 hours before his hanging was found to be porridge or gruel made from grains or seeds. It is suspected that he is a victim of human sacrifice.

Grauballe Man and Tollund Man are amazing examples of what humans can find out about their history when human remains are able to be preserved well. Bogs are great at preserving because they preserve everything on/in the body but the bones. One of the most interesting things about bog bodies is you can see exactly how the body looked at the time of death and can even see what their last meal was.