Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 7, 2014 11:40:14 GMT -5
Turns out Europe’s Ancient Bog People Aren’t Who We Thought They Were
Throughout northern Europe, a small population known as the bog people continue to offer unbelievable insight into ancient life. It consists of around 500 skeletons, dating to 800 BC and 200 AD, that were discovered at the bottom of numerous bogs. The mummified bodies are almost perfectly preserved – eyebrows and all – allowing modern science to discover never before known details about their origins.
Farmers began discovering the preserved bodies in the 1800s. Bogs are acidic and low on oxygen, which preserves human skin, hair, clothes and stomach contents exceptionally well. Additionally, accumulated layers of dead moss in the bogs seal in everything.
The most famous of the bodies is the “Tollund Man” (above). Found in 1950 on Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula, the man is so well-preserved he still has his five o’clock shadow. Found with a rope around his neck, scholars believe he was a human sacrifice rather than a hanged criminal because of his body position and calm facial expression.
Originally thought to be lowly criminals or commoners, new chemical tests are making that theory questionable. Research reveals the bog people traveled long distances and wore clothes made in foreign lands. One of the bodies, known as the “Huldremose Woman” (above), wore garments dyed blue and red and, possibly, had a ring on one of her fingers. Dyed clothing and jewelry were signs of wealth – an interesting note in unveiling her true identity.
With new developments in strontium isotope testing technology, researchers are now studying the subjects’ hair to learn about their travel habits. The results of these tests are still unpublished, but early indications are clear: The bog people traveled – a lot. When the body pictured below was found in a bog on Bourtanger Moor, near Neu Versen, Germany, in 1900, the young man was quickly named “Red Franz” for the color of his hair, beard, and eyebrows, which were turned red by the acids in the peat.
Now, the real question is who they were and why they died – wealthy travelers, affluent traders, or something even more important? This question may never be answered, but with additional scientific clues being unearthed, researchers are excited to learn as much as they can about these mysterious people.
Source: Alex Bauer, RYOT, August 6, 2014.
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