Borremose Man
Borremose Man | |
|---|---|
 Borremose Man shortly after his discovery | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | c. 700 BCE Borremose, Himmerland, Denmark |
Body discovered | 1946 |
| Other name | Borremose I |
| Known for | Bog body |
| Height | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) |
Borremose Man, also known as Borremose I, is an Iron Age bog body discovered in 1946 in the Borremose peat bog in Himmerland, Denmark. He was the first of three bog bodies recovered from Borremose between 1946 and 1948. Initially believed to be a recent murder victim, he was found about 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) beneath the surface of the bog, covered by a layer of birch sticks.
Radiocarbon dating placed Borremose Man at approximately 700 BCE. He was about 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) tall and was found naked, with two sheepskin capes and a woven cap lying beside him. A 36-centimetre (14 in) rope with a slipknot remained around his neck, indicating strangulation. Examination also revealed a crushing injury to the back of his skull and a fractured right femur.
Discovery
[edit]Borremose Man was discovered in May 1946 during peat cutting in the southern part of the Borremose bog in Himmerland, northern Jutland, Denmark. He was found about 2 m (6.6 ft) below the bog surface, in an upright position with his body tightly flexed.[1] Because the remains were initially thought to belong to a recent murder victim, the find was reported to police before its archaeological age was recognized.[2]
Birch wood had been placed over the body, including a branch about 1 m (3.3 ft) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) thick.[2] The peat surrounding the remains appeared undisturbed.[2] Because the body was fragile, it was recovered together with the surrounding peat rather than being lifted directly, preserving the remains and their immediate archaeological context for further examination.[2]
The body was found at 56°47′23″N 9°34′11″E / 56.78972°N 9.56972°E.[3]
Clothing and associated items
[edit]
The body was naked and two sheepskin capes and a woven cap lay beside it.[4][5][6] One of the sheepskin capes was assembled from numerous large and small pieces of sheepskin sewn together in a symmetrical pattern. It was stitched closed at the front and could be worn with either the fleece or the leather facing outwards.[7][8]
Condition
[edit]Borremose Man was only partly preserved when he was recovered. Soft tissue, including skin, survived on some parts of his body, while elsewhere the bones were exposed. His hands were especially well preserved and retained their narrow shape, although his fingernails had dissolved. Enough of his remains survived for investigators to estimate his height at about 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in).[1]
Scientific study
[edit]Early radiocarbon testing placed Borremose Man within a broad date range of about 920 to 200 BCE, a span of roughly seven centuries. An estimate of about 700 BCE was commonly assigned to him within that range.[9][10]
Subsequent analysis using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) revised the chronology of the Borremose finds. The AMS study produced a combined calibrated date range of 483–95 BCE for Borremose Man and the two other individuals recovered from the bog, a span of about four centuries.[9][10]
Cause of death
[edit]Borremose Man was found with a 36-centimetre (14 in) rope with a slipknot around his neck indicating death by strangulation.[11][1] However, examination also revealed a crushing blow to the back of the skull and the right femur had been broken.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Fischer, Christian. "Bog bodies of Denmark and north-western Europe" (PDF). Cambridge Core. Cambridge University Press. pp. 237–262. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- 1 2 3 4 Thorvildsen, Knud (1947). "Moseliget fra Borremose i Himmerland" (PDF). Fra Nationalmuseets Arbejdsmark (in Danish): 57–67. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ "Lokalitet". Fund og Fortidsminder (in Danish). Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- ↑ Glob, P. (2004). The Bog People: Iron-Age Man Preserved. New York: New York Review of Books. p. 304. ISBN 1-59017-090-3.
- ↑ Andersen, S.; Geertinger, P. "Bog bodies investigated in the light of forensic medicine." Journal of Danish Archaeology. 3 (1984): 111–119.
- ↑ Munksgaard, Elisabeth (1984). "Bog Bodies – a Brief Survey of Interpretations". Journal of Danish Archaeology. 3: 120–123. doi:10.1080/0108464X.1984.10589917.
- ↑ "Fur in prehistory". National Museum of Denmark.
- ↑ "Kappe fra Borremose I". National Museum of Denmark.
- 1 2 Mannering, Ulla; Gleba, Margarita; Possnert, Göran; Heinemeier, Jan (2009). "Om datering af mosefundne lig og beklædningsdele". Kuml (in Danish). 58: 103–125. doi:10.7146/kuml.v58i58.26391. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
- 1 2 Mannering, Ulla; Possnert, Göran; Heinemeier, Jan; Gleba, Margarita (2010). "Dating Danish textiles and skins from bog finds by means of 14C AMS". Journal of Archaeological Science. 37 (2): 261–268. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2009.09.037.
- ↑ "Human sacrifices". National Museum of Denmark. Retrieved 2021-06-15.