Archaeologists are to examine the latest ‘bog person’ remains found in Ireland.
A headless body was discovered in a peat bog in County Meath last week.
The find, on a site near the town of Kinnegad, was made by workers from the Bord na Mona company which controls Ireland’s turf bogs.
The Irish Times reports that experts from the National Museum are to begin examining the remains of Ireland’s latest ‘bog person’.
An archaeological team from the Museum excavated the remains on Saturday and transported them to Dublin.
The report says it is unclear at this stage the age, sex, or cause of death.
Details are likely to emerge following examination by the Museums team of experts this week.
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The Meath discovery comes a year after those believed to be of a sacrificial victim were found in a County Laois bog.
Maeve Sikora, an assistant keeper in the museum’s Irish antiquities division, told the Irish Times: “How ancient its year we won’t be able to say yet but it is a bog body of some antiquity.”
She added: “Its upper body appears to be intact and further analysis should be able to tell us how much else is there.
“It seems like it has been exposed to the air for quite a while and that would be damaging but nonetheless its condition is very good.”
Four such bog bodies are currently on display at the National Museum on Dublin.
6 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.handsome68 | Dec 11, 2012, 06:58 PM EST
I love these bog bodies, as well. I understand that the Irish Elk in New York City's American Museum of Natural History was found in a bog; the poor deer -- no apologies for the pun -- might have been unable to get out because of its huge antlers.
Paradigm | Dec 10, 2012, 07:06 PM EST
Living relatives buried in the bog? Now don't expect the impossible Ms Gail!!!!!!
Ms.Gail | Dec 10, 2012, 05:39 PM EST
Can they do DNA analysis on Bog Bodies I wonder? Wouldn't it be great if a living relative could be found!
phinsman | Dec 10, 2012, 03:12 PM EST
I love the Irish bogs and have been doing a bunch of reading about them... other than dead bodies, the second most frequently found item in bogs is old butter in barrels. From what I have read, assuming this is correct, there wasn't a way to preserve butter during the summer in Ireland long ago because there were no refrigerators back then, so they would preserve it by putting the butter in a barrel and bury it in the bog. In 2006 I visited a bog in Maine and it reminded me so much of the Irish bogs.
Paradigm | Dec 10, 2012, 10:37 AM EST
A 'headless body' found but cause of death unknown! Decapitation was probably fatal in days gone by.
Portia777 | Dec 10, 2012, 10:28 AM EST
I hope they don't loose the body like other artifacts under state control. Archaeologists also tend to make assumptions which are not fact.