The remains of prehistoric men, women and children - so well preserved that they are often mistaken for victims of modern crime - have periodically been revealed in the bogs of northern Europe. In many cases their skin, hair, nails, and marks of injury survive, betraying the violence that surrounded their deaths. Who were these unfortunate people, and why were they killed?
The number of known bodies is growing. Lindow Man, the famous 'Pete Marsh' discovered in Cheshire, has been joined by new finds from Ireland and elsewhere. Archaeologists, armed with the latest analytical techniques, are today investigating these cold cases to reveal much about our distant past. Forensic science allows us to deduce the age, physical condition, status, cause and time of death of these ancient victims, helping to answer the fundamental questions that they pose: Were these people executed, murdered, or victims of human sacrifice? Who selected them? Who delivered the killing blow, and why?
Drawing on the latest evidence and research, Miranda Aldhouse-Green, an acknowledged authority on the period, has written an engrossing detective story, uncovering the hidden truths behind these mysteries. In this book we come face-to-face with our ancestors and can begin to understand their ancient lives - and deaths.
By:
Miranda Aldhouse-Green,
Miranda J. Green
Imprint: Thames & Hudson
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 670g
ISBN: 9780500051825
ISBN 10: 0500051828
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 01 November 2015
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword: Val McDermid • Introduction • 1. Discoveries & Discoverers • 2. The World of the Bog People: Space, Time and Society • 3. The Magic of Bog Preservation • 4. Crime Scene Investigation: the Application of Forensic Science • 5. Accident, Execution or Murder? • 6. Modus Operandi: Ways of Killing • 7. Instrumental Violence: Abuse with Purpose • 8. The Chosen Ones • 9. Natural Born Killers • 10. Bog Deaths & Human Sacrifice • Epilogue: Listening to the Dead: Bog Bodies Uncovered
Reviews for Bog Bodies Uncovered: Solving Europe's Ancient Mystery
A real-life forensic thriller revealing the secrets of ancient and modern bodies preserved in bogs--some for nearly 3,000 years. . . . Aldhouse-Green relies on her archaeological expertise and knowledge of Celtic myths, along with accounts of ancient authors on barbarian rituals, to ponder 'the million-dollar question: whether human sacrifice was behind some or all of the Iron- and Roman-period bog deaths.' An intriguing window into the past.
