Discovered
in 1938 in the Netherlands'
Bourtangermoor, the Emmer-Erfscheidenveen is an unusual bog body,
according to Dutch archaeologist W.A.B. van der Sanden. A Bronze Age
body that dates to 1200 B.C., Emmer-Erscheidenveen Man is clothed--which
makes him a rarity. Most Bronze Age bog bodies are rarely associated
with clothing (for a variety of reasons). In fact, as van der Sanden
writes, "the body was accompanied by so many garments that we can
dress the man completely": woollen underwear, sheepskin cap,
calfskin cape, deerskin shoes.
The body itself was not
found in good condition, and the only reason why he is referred to as a
man is because of the type of clothing found with "him." Only
two bones were recovered: the tongue bone (partial) and a small bone
from his foot or hand. Van der Sanden speculates that if the tongue bone
was broken at the time of his death, Emmer-Erfscheidenveen Man may have
been strangled, though there is no other evidence to suggest this.
Also worth noting is that is
that Emmer-Erfscheidenveen Man is most likely the oldest bog mummy ever
discovered, though he is more of a skeleton than a preserved body.
