Decapitated bog-body believed to be centuries old
A decapitated body has been discovered in a bog in County Offaly (Republic of Ireland) by a farmer while digging a drain near his home. The body is remarkably well preserved due to the acidic water and lack of oxygen found in a bog, which can retard decomposition and in this case have allowed the skin of the upper torso and the fingernails to remain intact, along with clothes and a bracelet on the upper arm. Initially the scene was treated as a potential murder site, but Depute State Pathologist Marie Cassidy has declared the body to be hundreds of years old.
Archaeologists from the Heritage Service and the National Museum visited the site at Croghan Hill near Daigean and later the body was transported to the museum. Raghnall O’Floinn, head of collections at the National Museum, said “No age has been confirmed for the body but it could be anywhere between 500–2000 years old.”
Headless bog-bodies, which have been discovered throughout Ireland and Scandinavia, are not an uncommon find, as it is believed that they are the remains of executed prisoners-of-war or criminals. If older, they could have been human sacrifices, as skull collecting was a practice common to both Vikings and Celts.
Sources: UTV News (15 May 2003), Irish Examiner (16 May 2003)
2,500-year-old necropolis helps identify Celtic tribe
A 5th- to 4th-century BCe necropolis containing 40 tombs has been found along the banks of the Aisne River in the Picardie region of northern France. Given its similarity, in terms of funeral practice and the style and presence of grave goods, to other Celtic burial grounds in the region such as Bucy-le-Long, Chassemy, and Cry-Salsogne, archaeologists have identified a Celtic tribe, probably under one chief, for the area.
Items such as lances, swords, javelins, and bronze tweezers and razors have been found in the male burials of the necropolis, while amber or colored glass beads, bracelets, torques, and bronze earrings have been found in the female burials. The most significant find so far has been a small bronze pendant of a woman whose legs form a lyre, which is the oldest known Celtic representation of the lyre, extending Celtic knowledge of the instrument by two centuries.
The excavation is part of a multi-year project studying the history of habitation, from the Neolithic to the present day, of this region of Picardie.
Source: Archaeology Magazine (May/June 2003)
