Bog Body

Bog Body

Bog bodies, which are also known as bog people, are the naturally preserved human corpses found in the sphagnum bogs in Northern Europe. Unlike most ancient human remains, bog bodies have retained their skin and internal organs due to the unusual conditions of the surrounding area. These conditions include highly acidic water, low temperature, and a lack of oxygen, combining to preserve but severely tan their skin. Despite the fact that their skin is preserved, their bones are generally not, as the acid in the peat dissolved the calcium phosphate of bone.

The German scientist Dr. Alfred Dieck catalogued the existence of over 1,850 northern European bog bodies in 1965, but many cannot be verified by documents or archaeological finds; in fact, an article in the German archaeology journal called "Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt" concluded that many of the cases were fabricated. Most, although not all, of these bodies have been dated to the Iron Age. Many show signs of having been killed and deposited in a similar manner, which may indicate a ritual element, and leads many archaeologists to believe that these were the victims of human sacrifice in Iron Age Germanic paganism. Cornelius Tacitus, though, specifically describes bogging as a form of (sacralized) capital punishment in his 1st century work Germania. Some of the most notable examples of bog bodies include Tollund Man and Grauballe Man from Denmark and Lindow Man from England.