Grauballe Man
Encyclopedia
The Grauballe Man is a bog body
that was uncovered in 1952 from a peat
bog
near to the village of Grauballe in Jutland
, Denmark
. The body itself is that of an adult male dating from the late 3rd century BC, during the early Iron Age
, and he had been killed by having his throat slit open. His corpse was then deposited in the bog, where his body was naturally preserved for over two millennia. He was not the only bog body to be found in the peat bogs of Jutland, with other notable examples being Tollund Man
and the Elling Woman, thereby being a part of an established tradition at the time; it is commonly thought that these killings, including that of Grauballe Man, were examples of human sacrifice
, a possibly important rite in Iron Age Germanic paganism
.
Grauballe Man has been described as "one of the most spectacular discoveries from Denmark's prehistory" because it is one of the most exceptionally preserved bog bodies ever to be recorded. Upon excavation in 1952, it was moved to the Prehistoric Museum in Aarhus
where it underwent research and conservation. In 1955 the body went on display at the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus, where it can still be seen today.
layer of peat that his body was found in. This date was subsequently confirmed by radiocarbon dating
his liver, the results of which were published in 1955.
s indicated that he had suffered from "periods of starvation or a poor state of health during his early childhood." The man's skeleton showed signs of significant calcium
deficiency and he also suffered in the early stages of spondylosis deformans on his spine. Due to the shrinkage that the corpse suffered in the bog, the man's actual height is not known. It is known that he had dark hair, although this too was altered in the bog, and now appears reddish in colour.
. The actual manner of his death was by having his neck cut open, ear to ear, severing his trachea
and also his oesophagus. Such a wound could not have been self-inflicted, indicating that this was not suicide
. Alongside this a damaged area to the skull initially thought to be inflicted by a blow to the head, has since been determined by a CT scan to be fractured due to pressure from the bog long after his death.
named Ulrik Balslev. With the body still in the peat, various locals came to visit it over the next day, one of whom accidentally stepped on its head. The following morning, Professor Peter Glob
from the Prehistory Museum at Aarhus
came to visit the body, and organised for it to be removed to the museum, still encased in a block of surrounding peat.
Glob and his team decided that they should not only research the body but that they should also attempt to preserve it so that it could be exhibited to the public. This concept was new at the time for most of the bog bodies previously discovered had been re-buried, sometimes in consecrated ground, with the Tollund Man
which had been discovered two years earlier having only its head preserved. Despite the warnings of some scientists who believed that the corpse should immediately undergo preservation, it was exhibited straight away in order to capitalise on public interest. Indeed, the scientists' fears were proved right, as despite the fact that the body was kept permanently moist, mould started to appear on certain areas.
The body then underwent research, including a post-mortem, and then preservation, which was organised by conservator C. Lange-Kornbak, who had to decide which was the best way to do this (no entire bog body had ever been preserved before). He examined various methods for doing this, before deciding on a programme of tanning
the body to turn it into leather
and then stuffing it with oak bark. In 1955 the body went on display at the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus
, only to be removed for a time in 2001-2002 when it underwent more modern scientific study, including radiological study
, CT scanning, 3D visualisation, stereolithography
and analyses of the gut contents.
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...
that was uncovered in 1952 from a peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
near to the village of Grauballe in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, 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...
. The body itself is that of an adult male dating from the late 3rd century BC, during the early Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, and he had been killed by having his throat slit open. His corpse was then deposited in the bog, where his body was naturally preserved for over two millennia. He was not the only bog body to be found in the peat bogs of Jutland, with other notable examples being Tollund Man
Tollund Man
The Tollund Man is the naturally mummified corpse of a man who lived during the 4th century BC, during the time period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age. He was found in 1950 buried in a peat bog on the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark, which preserved his body. Such a find is...
and the Elling Woman, thereby being a part of an established tradition at the time; it is commonly thought that these killings, including that of Grauballe Man, were examples of human sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
, a possibly important rite in Iron Age Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
.
Grauballe Man has been described as "one of the most spectacular discoveries from Denmark's prehistory" because it is one of the most exceptionally preserved bog bodies ever to be recorded. Upon excavation in 1952, it was moved to the Prehistoric Museum in Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
where it underwent research and conservation. In 1955 the body went on display at the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus, where it can still be seen today.
Evidence
Grauballe Man was initially dated to having been killed in the late 3rd century BC by analysing the stratigraphicStratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
layer of peat that his body was found in. This date was subsequently confirmed by radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
his liver, the results of which were published in 1955.
Life
From his remains, various pieces of information about the Grauballe Man's life have been ascertained. His hands were smooth and did not show evidence of hard work, indicating that Grauballe Man was not employed in hard labour such as farming. Study of his teeth and jawJaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
s indicated that he had suffered from "periods of starvation or a poor state of health during his early childhood." The man's skeleton showed signs of significant calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
deficiency and he also suffered in the early stages of spondylosis deformans on his spine. Due to the shrinkage that the corpse suffered in the bog, the man's actual height is not known. It is known that he had dark hair, although this too was altered in the bog, and now appears reddish in colour.
Death
The corpse was not found with any artifacts or any evidence of clothing, indicating that when he died he was entirely naked, something that had also happened with the Tollund ManTollund Man
The Tollund Man is the naturally mummified corpse of a man who lived during the 4th century BC, during the time period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age. He was found in 1950 buried in a peat bog on the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark, which preserved his body. Such a find is...
. The actual manner of his death was by having his neck cut open, ear to ear, severing his trachea
Vertebrate trachea
In tetrapod anatomy the trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that connects the pharynx or larynx to the lungs, allowing the passage of air. It is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium cells with goblet cells that produce mucus...
and also his oesophagus. Such a wound could not have been self-inflicted, indicating that this was not suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Alongside this a damaged area to the skull initially thought to be inflicted by a blow to the head, has since been determined by a CT scan to be fractured due to pressure from the bog long after his death.
Discovery, preservation and exhibition
The Grauballe Man's body was first discovered buried in the bog on 26 April 1952 by a team of peat diggers. One of the workmen, Tage Busk Sørensen, stuck his spade into something that he knew was not peat; upon revealing more they discovered the head protruding from the ground, and the local postman, who was just passing, alerted the local doctor as well as an amateur archaeologistArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
named Ulrik Balslev. With the body still in the peat, various locals came to visit it over the next day, one of whom accidentally stepped on its head. The following morning, Professor Peter Glob
Peter Glob
Peter Vilhelm Glob , also P.V. Glob, was a Danish archaeologist who worked as the Director General of Museums and Antiquities of the state of Denmark and was also the Director of the National Museum in Copenhagen...
from the Prehistory Museum at Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
came to visit the body, and organised for it to be removed to the museum, still encased in a block of surrounding peat.
Glob and his team decided that they should not only research the body but that they should also attempt to preserve it so that it could be exhibited to the public. This concept was new at the time for most of the bog bodies previously discovered had been re-buried, sometimes in consecrated ground, with the Tollund Man
Tollund Man
The Tollund Man is the naturally mummified corpse of a man who lived during the 4th century BC, during the time period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age. He was found in 1950 buried in a peat bog on the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark, which preserved his body. Such a find is...
which had been discovered two years earlier having only its head preserved. Despite the warnings of some scientists who believed that the corpse should immediately undergo preservation, it was exhibited straight away in order to capitalise on public interest. Indeed, the scientists' fears were proved right, as despite the fact that the body was kept permanently moist, mould started to appear on certain areas.
The body then underwent research, including a post-mortem, and then preservation, which was organised by conservator C. Lange-Kornbak, who had to decide which was the best way to do this (no entire bog body had ever been preserved before). He examined various methods for doing this, before deciding on a programme of tanning
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
the body to turn it into leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
and then stuffing it with oak bark. In 1955 the body went on display at the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
, only to be removed for a time in 2001-2002 when it underwent more modern scientific study, including radiological study
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
, CT scanning, 3D visualisation, stereolithography
Stereolithography
Stereolithography is an additive manufacturing technology for producing models, prototypes, patterns, and in some cases, production parts.-Technology description:...
and analyses of the gut contents.
External links
- The Grauballe Man – a brief description at the homepage of the Moesgård Museum
- The Grauballe Man – a poem by Seamus Heaney at the homepage of BBC NI SchoolsBBC Northern IrelandBBC Northern Ireland is the main public service broadcaster in Northern Ireland.The organisation is one of the three national regions of the BBC, together with BBC Scotland and BBC Wales. Based at Broadcasting House, Belfast, it provides television, radio, online and interactive television content...
- National Geographic September 2007: "Tales From the Bog"
- Forensic Facial Reconstruction
