Lindow Man
Lindow Man is a bog body that was discovered in 1984 in the Lindow Moss peat bog in Cheshire, England. Originally discovered in parts, Lindow Man's foot was found in a piece of peat cutting machinery operated by two workmen. After finding the torso of Lindow Man, the workmen called the police, and an archaeologist was brought to the scene. The archaeologist quickly established that the parts of Lindow Man's body belonged to ancient bog body. Four years later, in 1988, more parts of Lindow Man's body were found. A visual examination revealed that Lindow Man was about 25-30 years old, was muscular, and was at the peak of his physical condition. Examination also revealed that his hair colour was brown/ginger, and that he had a neatly trimmed moustache and beard. Interestingly, Lindow Man's hands were manicured and well maintained, indicating a lack of manual labour in his life.
Science is key to understanding more about the life and death of Lindow Man. Forensic analysis has revealed that Lindow Man suffered multiple blows to the head, resulting in a fractured skull, strangulation, a cut throat, and a stab wound to the upper chest. In addition, scientific analysis of Lindow Man's body has revealed that he was alive during the period of 2BC-AD119.
When paired with multiple written accounts from Roman historians, scientific analysis of Lindow Man's body has provided enough information to provoke multiple contrasting theories and hypotheses about the manner of and reason for Lindow Man's death. The most common explanation for the strange and violent manner of Lindow Man's death is that he was part of a ritual. This particular ritual, as alluded to by Celtic scholars, is one of worship and sacrifice to the sun god Belenos, which would have taken place during a festival in Beltain held by Celtic tribes. This is when the scientific analysis comes into play. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy, which revealed Lindow Man's last meal to be burnt griddlecake, meets the Celtic scholars' description of the events that took place during the aforementioned festival. According to the scholars, a special bread (the griddlecake) would be prepared, and one portion would be burnt deliberately. After handing out the bread, the man who received the burnt portion would be marked as 'the devoted one', and would be given to Belenos in a ritualistic sacrifice. This sacrifice would take place to influence Belenos to look upon the tribes favourably, in the hopes that he would keep them safe and prevent their crops from failing.
Science is key to understanding more about the life and death of Lindow Man. Forensic analysis has revealed that Lindow Man suffered multiple blows to the head, resulting in a fractured skull, strangulation, a cut throat, and a stab wound to the upper chest. In addition, scientific analysis of Lindow Man's body has revealed that he was alive during the period of 2BC-AD119.
When paired with multiple written accounts from Roman historians, scientific analysis of Lindow Man's body has provided enough information to provoke multiple contrasting theories and hypotheses about the manner of and reason for Lindow Man's death. The most common explanation for the strange and violent manner of Lindow Man's death is that he was part of a ritual. This particular ritual, as alluded to by Celtic scholars, is one of worship and sacrifice to the sun god Belenos, which would have taken place during a festival in Beltain held by Celtic tribes. This is when the scientific analysis comes into play. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy, which revealed Lindow Man's last meal to be burnt griddlecake, meets the Celtic scholars' description of the events that took place during the aforementioned festival. According to the scholars, a special bread (the griddlecake) would be prepared, and one portion would be burnt deliberately. After handing out the bread, the man who received the burnt portion would be marked as 'the devoted one', and would be given to Belenos in a ritualistic sacrifice. This sacrifice would take place to influence Belenos to look upon the tribes favourably, in the hopes that he would keep them safe and prevent their crops from failing.