GRAUBALLE MAN OF DENMARK
DISCOVERY AND BACKGROUND
Grauballe Man is a bog body discovered in a peat bog on April 26, 1952 near the village of Grauballe in Jutland, Denmark just two years after the discovery of Tollund Man. His body was dated using Radiocarbon Dating, which aged him around the Third Century BCE at the beginning of the Germanic Iron Age. His body displayed a blatant gash across his throat which killed the man. His body was then dumped in a bog, with his body being preserved. His remains have been regarded as the most spectacular bog body in history due to his immaculate condition. Debate has surrounded the true identity of Grauballe Man, with many believing it to be Red Christian, who was a peat cutter who one day vanished. It is thought that he fell into the bog after being blinded by alcohol.
SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS
Grauballe Man's body underwent Radio Carbon Dating to reveal that his body was dated to approximately 310 BCE to 55 BCE, which is in the very late Iron Age. Additionally, Scanning Electron Microscopy uncovered that Grauballe Man did not do much physical labor, due to him having smooth fingerprints. This method also revealed his last meal of a porridge which consisted of seeds from around 60 herbs, corn and poisonous fungi infected grass. Due to the lack of fresh and new herbs in his stomach, it is believed he died in winter. A forensic analysis was also undertaken which outlined the injuries that he had sustained. His throat was slashed from ear to ear, with fractures to his skull and tibia due to the immense pressure from the bog. X-rays on his skull were created in 3-D with clay to reconstruct his face with assistance from CT Scans.
CAUSE OF DEATH
It was extremely obvious to scientist and active citizens alike that Grauballe Man met a brutal fate by having his throat slashed from ear to ear. However, many have failed to realise that the grasses found in his stomach may gave also somehow attributed to his demise. Traces of poisonous fungi were found in the grasses, which indicates that he may have been killed due to a poisoning, although the original theory is more likely.
FAMOUS SOURCES
Tacitus, who commented on Lindow Man, also had some input into the mysterious death of Grauballe Man. He states that the clans of Northern Europe are visited by Mother Earth in the Spring, with a select few pure people chosen for sacrifice. This could very well explain Grauballe Man's stress free hands as his tribe may have reserved him for sacrifice, and his brutal death also coincides with a sacrificial offering.
Grauballe Man is a bog body discovered in a peat bog on April 26, 1952 near the village of Grauballe in Jutland, Denmark just two years after the discovery of Tollund Man. His body was dated using Radiocarbon Dating, which aged him around the Third Century BCE at the beginning of the Germanic Iron Age. His body displayed a blatant gash across his throat which killed the man. His body was then dumped in a bog, with his body being preserved. His remains have been regarded as the most spectacular bog body in history due to his immaculate condition. Debate has surrounded the true identity of Grauballe Man, with many believing it to be Red Christian, who was a peat cutter who one day vanished. It is thought that he fell into the bog after being blinded by alcohol.
SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS
Grauballe Man's body underwent Radio Carbon Dating to reveal that his body was dated to approximately 310 BCE to 55 BCE, which is in the very late Iron Age. Additionally, Scanning Electron Microscopy uncovered that Grauballe Man did not do much physical labor, due to him having smooth fingerprints. This method also revealed his last meal of a porridge which consisted of seeds from around 60 herbs, corn and poisonous fungi infected grass. Due to the lack of fresh and new herbs in his stomach, it is believed he died in winter. A forensic analysis was also undertaken which outlined the injuries that he had sustained. His throat was slashed from ear to ear, with fractures to his skull and tibia due to the immense pressure from the bog. X-rays on his skull were created in 3-D with clay to reconstruct his face with assistance from CT Scans.
CAUSE OF DEATH
It was extremely obvious to scientist and active citizens alike that Grauballe Man met a brutal fate by having his throat slashed from ear to ear. However, many have failed to realise that the grasses found in his stomach may gave also somehow attributed to his demise. Traces of poisonous fungi were found in the grasses, which indicates that he may have been killed due to a poisoning, although the original theory is more likely.
FAMOUS SOURCES
Tacitus, who commented on Lindow Man, also had some input into the mysterious death of Grauballe Man. He states that the clans of Northern Europe are visited by Mother Earth in the Spring, with a select few pure people chosen for sacrifice. This could very well explain Grauballe Man's stress free hands as his tribe may have reserved him for sacrifice, and his brutal death also coincides with a sacrificial offering.