Borremose Bodies
Encyclopedia
Borremose Bodies is the collective name for three bog bodies found in the Borremose
peat bog in Himmerland
, Denmark
. Recovered between 1946 and 1948, the bodies of a man and two women have been dated to the Nordic Bronze Age
. In 1891, the Gundestrup cauldron
was found in a near by bog.
Forensic analysis estimated the man's height at and carbon dating placed the age of the body at ca. 700 BCE. Borremose Man was found with a 36 centimetres (14.2 in) rope with a slipknot around his neck indicating death by strangulation. However, examination also revealed a crushing blow to the back of the skull and the right femur had been broken.
56°47′23"N 9°34′11"E
56°47′36"N 9°34′55"E
In 1984, a forensic examination of Borremose Woman was undertaken by Andersen and Geert Inger and Elisabeth Munksgaard of the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen. Their examination confirmed that damage to the scalp had not occurred before death. The scientists were unable to make any conclusion as to the cause of death whether by murder, suicide, accident or natural causes.
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Borremose
-Archaeology:Borremose is famous for being the finding site of more than three bog bodies , as well as a fortified settlement from the middle part of Pre-Roman Iron Age . The silver "Gundestrup cauldron" was found in a minor bog less than 1 km to the north of the Borremose bog.-References:...
peat bog in Himmerland
Himmerland
Himmerland is a peninsula in northeastern Jutland, Denmark. It is delimited to the north and the west by the Limfjord, to the east by the Kattegat, and to the south by the Mariager Fjord. The largest city is Aalborg; smaller towns include Hobro, Aars, Løgstør, Støvring and Nibe...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Recovered between 1946 and 1948, the bodies of a man and two women have been dated to the Nordic Bronze Age
Nordic Bronze Age
The Nordic Bronze Age is the name given by Oscar Montelius to a period and a Bronze Age culture in Scandinavian pre-history, c. 1700-500 BC, with sites that reached as far east as Estonia. Succeeding the Late Neolithic culture, its ethnic and linguistic affinities are unknown in the absence of...
. In 1891, the Gundestrup cauldron
Gundestrup cauldron
The Gundestrup cauldron is a richly-decorated silver vessel, thought to date to the 1st century BC, placing it into the late La Tène period. It was found in 1891 in a peat bog near the hamlet of Gundestrup, in the Aars parish in Himmerland, Denmark...
was found in a near by bog.
Borremose man
In 1946, Borremose man was discovered by peat diggers in the southernmost part of Borremose. First thought to be a murder victim, the body was later determined to be a bog body. The body was found a half meter down beneath a layer of birch sticks. The body was naked and two sheepskin coats and a woven cap lay beside it.Forensic analysis estimated the man's height at and carbon dating placed the age of the body at ca. 700 BCE. Borremose Man was found with a 36 centimetres (14.2 in) rope with a slipknot around his neck indicating death by strangulation. However, examination also revealed a crushing blow to the back of the skull and the right femur had been broken.
56°47′23"N 9°34′11"E
Boremose II
In 1947, a woman's body was discovered in the Borremose bog about one kilometer away from the Borremose Man. The woman was found beneath a layer of birch sticks, lying on her stomach on top of a layer of birch bark. The upper torso was naked while the lower body was covered by wool clothing. A leather cord with an amber bead and bronze plate were around the woman's neck. Her skull was crushed and the right leg was broken below the knee. The bones of an infant and a ceramic jar were lying nearby. Because the body was largely decayed, further forensic analysis was hampered. Later carbon dating placed the age of the remains to about 400 BCE.56°47′36"N 9°34′55"E
Borremose Woman
The body of another woman (also called Borremose III) was recovered in 1948, approximately 400 meters south from Borremose man. Borremose Woman II was found lying face down, the body wrapped in a woolen garment. The scalp and hair on one side of the head had been separated, however this was considered to be damage caused by the shovels of the peat diggers. The skull and face were crushed, and deterioration of the neck prevented detection of strangulation. Carbon dating set the body's age to ca. 770 (+/-100) BCE.In 1984, a forensic examination of Borremose Woman was undertaken by Andersen and Geert Inger and Elisabeth Munksgaard of the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen. Their examination confirmed that damage to the scalp had not occurred before death. The scientists were unable to make any conclusion as to the cause of death whether by murder, suicide, accident or natural causes.
56°47′40"N 9°34′32"E
