Lindow+Man

- Bog Bodies - Lindow Man - Tolland Man - The Iceman - Ice Maiden

Lindow Man

 * Where and when was Lindow Man found?**

Lindow Moss is a peat bog in Cheshire; the peat is excavated commercially for use as fuel. On 1 August 1984 one of the workmen at the site jokingly threw a clump of peat at his workmate. Unfortunately, it was not a piece of peat, but a human foot that was revealed when it missed the workmate and fell to the ground. The police were called, it was soon established that the foot was part of an ancient bog body, and archaeologists were summoned. The rest of the body was soon uncovered and subjected to a variety of scientific tests.


 * What did they find?**

Pathology tests showed he was a man of 25 to 30 years of age, muscular, and at the peak of physical condition. He was 1.68 metres tall, with brown to ginger hair and a beard that was slightly darker. An interesting feature of Lindow Man was his hands, which were manicured and well cared for. It was obvious that Lindow Man did no physical work with his hands.

The wonders of forensic science have been able to give us a very clear picture of Lindow Man.

His face is squashed and contorted from the weight of the peat. However, medical illustrator Richard Neave, using careful calculations of the facial structure, were able to bring the face of Lindow Man to life. This was a new technique in the 1980s which has now been overtaken by CT scans and CGI.


 * How did he die?**

Lindow Man, it seems, died in a particularly horrific manner:
 * there was a possible stab wound to the upper chest;
 * two or three blows, possibly from a blunt instrument such as an axe, had fractured the skull;
 * he was strangled or garrotted with a thong made of animal tissue;
 * his throat had been cut, perhaps not as a killing blow but to drain the body of blood.

//**Discussion Questions:**//

Can you suggest reasons why so many injuries were inflicted on the man? Compare Lindow Man's injuries with those listed in Table 10.1 of your text. Is there any clear pattern?

There are some written sources available which may assist in interpreting the Bog Bodies. Go to pages 133-4. Make a note of when each author was writing and the perspective from which they were writing. Answer the questions on page 134.


 * The Festival of Beltain //(another explanation p.135)//**


 * Was Lindow Man a criminal, a victim of murder or a sacrificial victim? Why did he die? **

=Lindow Man=


 * 1 When?** 1 August 1984 (one year earlier a skull had been found – Lindow Woman – man confessed to murdering his wife)
 * Where?** Lindow Moss in Cheshire, UK
 * How?** Commercial peat cutter, Andy Mould, made the initial discovery of a foot. Police were called and the head, arm and torso were found.


 * 2 How did he die?**

· Possible stab wound to upper chest · Skull fractured with two or three blows from a blunt instrument · Strangled or garotted with thong made from animal tissue · Possibly had his throat cut (to drain the body of blood) though some think the neck wound was caused naturally after death


 * 3 Reasons the body was preserved.**

· Peat bogs are anaerobic (lack oxygen). Oxygen is necessary for decay. · The bog also contained tannin, a natural preservative, which causes the body to become like leather. · Sphagnum


 * 4 Methods used to examine the body.**

· //Visual inspection//. o Head and neck o Hair and beard o Fingernails o Clothing – naked. Fox-fur arm band and rope around neck o He was well built and in his prime o Height: 5’7 forensic anthropologist estimated from length of humerus

· //X-ray// o To determine bone structure, fractures, foreign bodies o Showed his neck was broken

· //Radio carbon dating// - determined that he lived between 2BC and AD109

· //Scanning electron microscopy// revealed the beard and moustache had been cut with scissors not a blade.

· //Analysis of stomach contents//

· //A likeness of him created by a medical illustrator//.


 * 5 What has been learnt about the past?**

Who was he and why did he die? Was he murdered? Was he a sacrificial victim? And if so, why? Dr Anne Ross, an archaeologist, argues that he was a sacrificial victim to please the gods. The killing was part of the ritual. Occurred at Beltain (1 May) when a victim is chosen by the distribution of bannock, a type of bread, with one piece charred. This was usually done to ensure successful summer crops. Dr Ross believes that this particular victim was sacrificed on 1 May AD 60, to stop the Roman army from encroaching any further. He was probably a druid or important member of society.