Bill and Sulevia

Contrary to popular belief, Egyptians were not the only culture to participate in mummification. Throughout the wetlands of Northern Europe, beneath water and peat, we have discovered thousands of ancient, mummified humans, otherwise known as bog bodies. These corpses, some of which are almost perfectly preserved, have been discovered in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the British Isles, with small portions found in Sweden and North America. An example of one of these bodies is the Tollund Man, found in Denmark along the Jutland Peninsula. The Tollund Man, dating back to approximately 405 BC, was famously discovered in the 1950s by peat cutters, his features so intact “they could only suppose they had stumbled on a recent murder,” stated the Smithsonian Magazine. The Tollund Man, along with the many others who shared his fate, has given researchers enough information to assume the bog bodies are a result of ritualistic sacrifice. Similar to other discoveries, he was found with a noose wound tightly around his neck, his body laid carefully in a fetal position, and evidence of a last meal containing rare types of grain and seed. The practice of placing bodies in bogs especially stands out when looking at common burial rituals of the time. For instance, in Northwestern Europe, pre-Roman Iron Age humans typically disposed of remains through cremation, making the case of bog bodies an intentional exception. Additionally, many Celtic and Germanic tribes viewed bogs as sacred, liminal spaces between their world and the realm of the gods. Items such as weapons, clothing, and even animals have also been discovered in these European peatlands—suggesting a common practice of offering gifts, or votives, to bogs. The Celtic and Germanic practice of offering sacrifices to these spaces reached its peak around 500 BC to 100 AD, with its prominence beginning to fade out upon the arrival of Romans. Although the ritual continued in certain regions, this period marked its indefinite and sharp decline. The Romans strictly viewed human sacrifices as barbaric and went to great lengths to outlaw the practice, including slaughtering the Druids who organized such rituals. Over time, with the help of Roman customs and the influx of Christianity, the authentic practice of bog sacrifices—and the intent behind it—became essentially useless. However, the disposing of remains in bogs persisted well into the Middle Ages, though strictly for the purpose of discarding criminals and murder victims. Ultimately, the discovery of bog bodies provides a glimpse into the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Northern European societies, revealing a tradition that endured for centuries. These unusually preserved corpses not only represent the impact of Roman and Christian influence on Celtic and Germanic tribes, but also offer archaeologists the ability to reconstruct their history today.