Lisa

=Case Study - Ancient Human Remains =

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Oral Presentation by Lisa
Topic: Borremose Woman II

[|P. V. Glob] wrote, "The dead woman lay face downwards covered by a large woolen blanket, which was adapted with a leather strap for use as a skirt. The [head] lay to the east, with the right arm bent up against the face, the left arm was under the left leg which was bent right up underneath her. Like [Borremose Man] the woman had been roughly handled before she ended up in the bog. The back of the head was scalped and her face was crushed."

A map of Denmark showing some of the Famous sites of Bog Bodies. The body was found in 1948. It is the body of an adult female. She presumably died in the year 770BC, of skeletal trauma. Found in the Borre Fen bog… The body was found by a peat-cutting machine. The body is still being preserved in a similar condition to how it looked when it was first recovered.
 * When, where, how the body was found **
 * A description of the body as it is today **

It is somewhat difficult to determine how she died, but many sources state that she possibly died of skeletal damage or being scalped. Another group of sources have stated that the skull damage occurred after she had died. When the person had been placed in the bog it was placed on a rectangular woolen blanket measuring 1.75x1.15m. Other than that, the body was naked. "The plump Borre Fen III woman from Denmark (c. 770BC) lay face down in the bog, naked except for a voluminous woollen skirt, which at the front covered her trunk up to the armpits, while at the back it was dragged up to the lower part of her head, leaving the right buttock exposed" - Don Brothwell. She had died a violent death. A blow to the lower half of her face had shattered the bones in her cheek and chin. She was scalped and her hair had been placed against the neck and the right hand. It is rumoured that she had been an unfaithful wife, based on the violence behind her injuries. “ A bog is characterized as “a soggy low area, from which water cannot drain,” causing bottom growing plant to accumulate peat layers (Knapp 1996: 34). The moss layer that grows on the surface crucially contributes to the creation of the anaerobic, acidic, and cold conditions of bogs, which are ideal for the prevention of decay by oxidation, //the process by which fatty acids are degraded//, and by bacteria, though bodies preserved in bogs may have been susceptible to decay prior to submersion by maggots (Brothwell 1987: 17). For example, if the body is at warmer surface waters, areas not covered by clothing can be eaten by fish and scavengers, exposing the bones. Due to preservative acids and tannin-like natural chemicals in the peat, also known as //sphagnum//, the skin of the bodies becomes leather-like in texture and subtle details of fingerprints and wrinkles often preserve (Ross 1989: 15 & 21). The colour becomes darker than leather, similar to "black coffee" (Deem 1998: 17). Sphagnum also prevents the growth of microbes and bacteria (Deem 1998: 16). Although wooden objects will not rot in a bog, plant products do decay, so linen cloth is not preserved. It is rare that the internal organs preserve because intestines are more resistant due to the extreme acidity of the water; consequently, most bog bodies ultimately end up as leather bags like the Damendorf Man. For the few cases in which the internal organs were preserved rather than the skin, Scientist T.J. Painter hypothesizes that these bodies were victims of burning (Deem 1998: 17).” Radio-carbon dating has been dated and calibrated to 770BC, as the year of death. However the pollen analysis indicates the time of deposition to be around the birth of Christ.
 * How the person died **
 * The reasons the body was preserved **
 * Scientific methods that have been used to study the remains **

Possibly those bodies which were placed in the bog ‘lovingly’ were innocent sacrifices, whereas those that were ‘over-killed’ may have dishonored social conventions. Prisoners of war could have been those who had their hands tied. This was all speculated by van der Sanden. The common thoery as to why these victims died the way they did, is that they were the victims of a human sacrafice. This is due to the violent nature of their deaths and the manner in which they were buried. > skull smashed after death
 * What has been learnt about the past from the study of the body **
 * Other Notes: **
 * Currently not on display, but may be stored in the basement of The Nationalmuseet in Copenhagen, Denmark.
 * Found in 1948
 * (evidence of injury in Bog Bodies)- Skull injuries
 * Scalped, hair deposited with the body
 * Well nourished- plump- undertaken little manual labor.
 * Possibly their apparent status was an even cause for execution and their deaths were associated with revolutions or struggles for individual supremacy
 * Carefully laid on bed of birch bark or cotton grass- unlikely to be by chance
 * Bogs may have been seen as an important or sacred place at this time, rather than an uninhabited wasteland.
 * Borremose bodies may have originated from the contemporary Borremose settlement. Their final resting-place lay just beyond the community they served.

The two most useful sources that I used were the two books, //The Bog People// by P.V. Glob and //The Bogman and the Archaeology of People// by Don Brothwell. These two sources are both entirely reliable because they have come from a non-fiction book. Books are very reliable because the information in them is not only constantly revised before publication of the book, but also the information cannot be easily altered. The sources were highly useful to me in my studies because they compared the body of my person (Borremose Woman II) to other bog bodies that had been found, both in that bog and in other bogs in Denmark. The books also displayed photographs of the body from various angles, each describing another piece of information to be found about the body. They also aided me in confirming othe information I had located on the web, but was unsure of the validity of what was written on the webpages. The book written by P.V. Glob was also highly helpful because it displayed on a map of Denmark exactly where the bog body had been found, therefore inspiring me to have a look on the web for a similar (but less detailed) map.
 * My Sources**

//The Borremose Woman,// (n.d). Retrieved March 5th, 2009 from: [] Picture of the Borremose Woman. This source is a valid because the photograph taken from the website of the Borremose Woman is similar to photographs found on other webpages and in the books that I have looked at. The source is partially reliable because although the webpage does not link itself back to an educational link, it is discussing a book. Most books are commonly held to be reliable because alteration of the material in a book is much harder. //Borremose Woman,// (n.d). Retrieved March 5th, 2009 from: [] The quote and several pieces of information. This website is valid because the quote that I took from this website is exactly what was written in the book //The Bog People// by P.V. Glob, on page 93. The website itself is not reliable but the information on it is. Williams, H. (n.d). //Archaeologies of Rememberance.// Retrieved March 7th, 2009 from: [|//http//://books.google.com.au/books?id=JFAEGMCVkasC&pg=PA92&lpg=PA92&dq=Borremose+Woman&source=bl&ots=McQ5zwZKBm&sig=4s24pNHYBrrk9w-2La0ZwBt4HzA&hl=en&ei=kwO7SbuDKZjE6gOz27HkBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPA93,M1] This website was useful because it was a preview of a book written titled //Archaeologies Of Rememberance// by Howard Williams. It was mostly useful because it confirmed a lot of the information I had read up on of the Borremose woman. This source is reliable because it was taken from a book, which as mentioned before makes the information harder to alter. This source is valid due to the fact that everything mentioned in this source was confirmed by some of my other sources. //General Bog Bodies,// (n.d). Retrieved March 8th, 2009 from: [] This website was helpful because it gave me the basic definition of what a bog was, therefore helping me to identify why a body is better preserved within a bog. The source is valid because it states information that I had read in several other books and because all of the definitions were provided. This website cannot be reffered to as reliable because it did not come from an educational source that states this information as being true. Aufderheide, A.C. (n.d). //The Scientific Study Of Mummies.// Retrieved March 14th, 2009 from: [] This website was informative on how a bog works and why bodies are better preserved in them. This therefore becomes a valid source because the information gathered from this website was confirmed by the previous website. The source is also reliable because it is an extract taken from a book, which as mentioned before, makes the information more difficult to alter. Cockburn, E. Reyman, T.A. (n.d). //Mummies, disease & ancient cultures.// Retrieved March 14th, 2009 from: [] This website was useful in finding certain bits of information about the bog body. The information is valid because it has been used by other sources. The information can be considered reliable because it was taken as an extract from a non-fiction book. (Map Of Denmark). (n.d). Retrieved March 17th, 2009 from: [] This source is a valid source because the locations listed are similar to a map that I have found in the book by P.V. Glob. The source is not reliable because it has no link towards an educational institution. //The Tollund Man- More Bog Bodies,// (n.d). Retrieved March 16th, 2009 from: [] This source is valid because it confirms information about the Borremose Woman which I have found at other locations. This source is not reliable because it has no link towards aneducational institution. Glob, P.V. 1977, //The Bog People//, Faber and Faber Limited, England. This was one of the more useful sources in my study of the Borremose Woman II. The information is valid because I have found similar information at other locations. The information is also very reliable because it was taken from a non-fiction book. Brothwell, D. 1987, //The Bogman and the Archaeology of People,// British Museum Publications Ltd, London. This source was also highly useful to me. The information given by this source is valid because I have located similar information given by other sources. The information is reliable because it has been taken from a non-fiction book. Clark, W. 1997, //Let's Meet The Bog People...// Retrieved March 4th, 2009 from: [] This website had nothing to do with my bog body, but I found it to be an interesting read as the author puts into persepective the sorts of things a victim of sacrafice would have to face and compares them to how bad it is for us.
 * Bibliography **