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.
