This past weekend I was channel surfing when I stopped on NOVA. The title of this episode was “Bog Bodies”. Apparently there is a phenomenon occurring in the peat bogs of the United Kingdom and Northwestern Europe. Around 2000 bodies, most dating back to the Iron Age, are being discovered in these bogs, the two most recent being in Ireland. The fascinating part is how well preserved the bodies are. They are to some extent naturally mummified by being submerged in the peat bogs. Centuries of peat deposits press on the bodies and flatten them, and the surrounding moisture of the bog preserves all forms of tissue, even hair and clothing. Even more interesting to me was the pattern that emerged with the occupants of all the bogs. The majority of the occupants of them appear to have been murdered. The most recent finds in Ireland were the focus of the show, and upon forensic examination, they both followed the tradition of their predecessors in being the victims of violent deaths as well. One had been brutally tortured, the other had been bludgeoned and nearly decapitated. Both had been staked and tied down to the bottom of the bog. Forensics also was able to determine that both men had been of high status, due to their manicured hands, and finely fashioned hair and clothing. A great many of the bog bodies found in modern time have also been members of the Iron Age aristocracy. It would appear bog bodies had a special purpose if only those in high society and worthy of torture were interred there. And with that explanation, one of the more morbid episodes of NOVA I ever encountered concluded.
