Who discovered the bodies in the bog?

Who discovered the bodies in the bog?

In 1965, the German scientist Alfred Dieck catalogued more than 1,850 bog bodies, but later scholarship revealed much of the Dieck’s work was erroneous, and an exact number of discovered bodies is unknown.

How was the bog body discovered?

When peat harvesters began accidentally unearthing bog bodies in the mid to late 1800s, many were discovered without clothing, solidifying the view that they had been simple people, Frei said. (Watch a National Geographic Channel video about bog mummies.) Tollund Man, for instance, was found with a belt but no clothes.

What do bog bodies reveal about Celtic society?

The latest Iron Age bog body dating back to at least 2,000 BC was discovered near Portlaoise in the Irish Midlands. An expert has stated that the latest bog body found in Ireland has proven that belief that the Celts ritually sacrificed their kings to the Gods.

Why were the bog bodies killed?

Explanations for why the bog victims were killed have included accident, punishment for crimes, execution of prisoners, and robberies gone wrong. The Tollund Man, perhaps the most famous bog body, has been called the “perfect corpse,” chiefly because of the exquisite condition of his face and head.

How many bog bodies were found in Europe?

These have mainly been derived from peat deposits in North-West Europe, although some peat-preserved remains have appeared elsewhere, including in America. Altogether, it has been estimated that well over 1400 bodies, or parts of bodies, have thus been found.

What do bog bodies tell us about the past?

Collectively, the information bog bodies carry with them tells us that trade networks were active in Iron Age Europe, bringing in goods from far away. The people of the day had contact with other cultures, and sometimes even traveled to faraway lands themselves.

Why do bog bodies have red hair?

The hair on most bog bodies is red. They weren’t all redheads, however—the color is a result of hair’s chemical reaction with the acidic water in the bog. Scientists don’t know the actual color of the mummies’ hair. Not all bog bodies are ancient.

Can you drown in a bog?

During much of this process the vegetation is floating. The bog is called a quaking bog to indicate the instability of the surface, which will sink slightly beneath a weight. It is even possible to break through the vegetation into the water beneath. Both people and animals have drowned this way.

Can you fall through a bog?

The bog is called a quaking bog to indicate the instability of the surface, which will sink slightly beneath a weight. It is even possible to break through the vegetation into the water beneath. Both people and animals have drowned this way. Nonfloating bogs may also quake if the peat is thick and spongy.

Is bog water drinkable?

Drinking bog water without treatment will would likely cause acute diarrheal disease.

What country has the most bog bodies?

Bog bodies, or bog people, are the naturally preserved corpses of humans and some animals recovered from peat bogs. The bodies have been most commonly found in the Northern European countries of Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland.

How old are the bodies found in the bog?

Bog bodies are hundreds of human remains recovered from peat bogs in Europe since the 15th century. Most date between 800 BCE–400 CE. The oldest dates to the Neolithic (8000 BCE); the most recent 1000 CE.

Who were the bog bodies of Europe?

The Bog Bodies of Europe. The term bog bodies (or bog people) is used to refer to human burials, some likely sacrificed, placed within peat bogs of Denmark, Germany, Holland, Britain, and Ireland and naturally mummified. The highly acidic peat acts as a remarkable preservative, leaving the clothing and skin intact,…

Why did the Germanic tribes leave their bodies in bogs?

For some reason, from 2,500 to 2,000 years ago, the Germanic tribes of Iron Age northwestern Europe had a habit of killing people and leaving their bodies in bogs. Even 50 years ago, archeologists knew practically nothing of the Iron Age in northwestern Europe, having only pottery fragments and other bits of evidence to work with.

What happened to the bogs?

The bog bodies examined in this video are victims. Violently killed thousands of years ago, these corpse s of men, women, and children have been naturally preserved by the unique chemistry of Northern Europe’s bogs. Today, archaeologist s and anthropologist s are acting as crime-scene investigators.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYAz9i40pBA