Irish Bog Bodies | Secrets of the Ancient Midlands
The bogs of Ireland’s midlands have been used for centuries for harvesting peat for fuel. But during modern day harvesting it’s not unusual for harvesters to find other secrets in the bogs. Like bodies. And the National Museum of Ireland has some of those bodies on display.
They are set off in a room at the National Museum of Archeology in Dublin. And they are really something to see. Skin turned to leather but preserved. You can see fingernails, some have tufts of hair. Most are found in parts and have been put back together….or at least the part are laid together in the display.
You see, the environment of the bog preserves bodies. Not only bodies but fabric, leather, clothing, hair and fingernails. It’s a combination of the natural acidity of a bog, the cold temperatures and the fact that in the bog there is a lack of oxygen. Moss common to bogs, blocks both the sun from coming in and oxygen. And the result is a sort of natural pickling that tans the skin and keeps things intact for thousands of years.
It’s a bit dark….but utterly fascinating. And these bodies have been able to shed light on life in Ireland back to the Iron age. Why are they all in parts? Not from being retrieved but because no one falls in a bog by mistake. Historians say they are there for a reason and most were killed for a perceived crime and then dissected before being tossed in the bog. Again….’ick!’ But fascinating to see.
The docents at the museum are happy to point you to the bog bodies, among so many other treasures there. And they also know the stories of where each body was found and the theories behind how they got there.
I had a chance to talk with one of the scientists who was part a bog body retrieval team. You can hear what’s been learned about the bodies in the bogs in this episode of Erin’s Isle.