Bog Bodies: Face to Face with the Past

Description

The 'bog bodies' of north-western Europe have captured the imaginations of poets and archaeologists alike, allowing us to come face-to-face with individuals from the past. Their exceptional preservation permits us to examine minute details of their lives and deaths, making us reflect poignantly on our own mortality. But, as this book argues, the bodies must be resituated within a turbulent world of endemic violence and change. Reinterpreting the latest continental research and new discoveries, and featuring a ground-breaking ‘cold case’ forensic study of Worsley Man, Manchester Museum’s 'bog head', it brings the bogs to life through both natural history and folklore, revealing them as places that were rich and fertile yet dangerous. The book also argues that these remains do not just pose practical conservation problems but also philosophical dilemmas, compounded by the critical debate on if – and how – they should be displayed. List of figures page viii Preface xii Acknowledgements xiv 1. Introduction 1 2. Discovering bog bodies 12 3. Preserving the dead 52 4. Crossing the bog 72 5. Exquisite things and everyday treasures: interpreting deposition in the bog 119 6. Violent ends 166 7. Worsley Man: Manchester’s bog head 217 8. Disquieting exhibits: displaying the dead 249 9. Conclusion: creative legacies 268 References 273 Index 307