Bog people

BOG PEOPLE OF NORTHERN EUROPE

A international traveling exhibit called the Mysterious Bog People is presently on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

The exhibit, open through September 10, 2006, shows finds from peat bogs in northwestern Europe, some as old as 14,000 years. Artifacts include jewelry, clothing, weapons, pottery, musical instruments, and the oldest known boat in the world.

The exhibit of well-preserved bodies found in bogs has been an object of controversy and criticism; one Canadian Critic called the Bog People Exhibit Disrespectful to the Dead.

Bodies and artifacts found in peat bogs are better preserved than finds in other environments because the combination of peat moss and water inhibit the growth of bacteria, and the acidity tans or mummifies skin and clothing (but dissolves bones).

It is unknown how many bog bodies have been found in European bogs since peat started to be harvested for fuel in the 16th century and later for soil improvement. One German book published in 1986 states that 1,850 bodies found in bogs had been cataloged. It is not known how many uncataloged bodies have been found, and no doubt quite a few more have been discovered in the last 20 years. At least 500 bog bodies have been found in Denmark, among them the Tollundman, the Grauballeman, the Ellingwoman, and others.

As long as peat was cut by hand, relatively few finds were destroyed. Modern excavating methods, however, have no doubt shattered many finds.

Peatbogs develop very slowly, at about the rate of one millimeter per year. Modern machinery can destroy in very short time what has taken nature thousands of years to build. In recent years, the importance of protecting peat bogs as archaelogical resources and unique wildlife habitats are beginning to be recognized.