The primary attraction of the Silkeborg Museum is the Tollund Man, an iron age bog body, arguably the most famous of all, known for his extremely well-preserved status. He died over 2000 years ago as a sacrificial offering and has remained extremely well-preserved due to the high concentration of sphagnum moss in the peat bog in which he was found. In June 2017, radiocarbon datings taken from his ribs and femur were considered in combination with datings previously taken from his skin and ribs, which made it possible to narrow down the date of his death to within a 21 year window: it is now known that he died between 405 and 384 BC, meaning he lived contemporaneously with Socrates.
Full-body view of the Tollund man
The Tollund man was discovered on May 8th, 1950, in the Tollund Bog in Bjældskovdal, Jutland, Denmark (~ 7 miles west of Silkeborg) by two peat cutters, Emil and Viggo Højgaard, in search of fuel for their stoves. The face of the man was so fresh that the men mistook the body for a recent murder victim and called the police, who in turn called the local museum, as bog bodies were already a known phenomenon in Jutland. He was found with his head pointing west and his face facing south, and laid about 50 yards from solid ground. He was covered by about 9 feet of peat. Aside from his skin cap and hide belt (and noose), he was completely naked. Immediately after discovery, a box was placed around him and the surrounding peat (weighing almost a ton) to preserve him exactly and transport him to the National Museum in Copenhagen. A man helping to transport this box actually died of a heart attack brought on by the strain of pushing it onto a cart. The transport of this box took a week. Dr. Knud Thorvildsen headed the investigation.
Most of the skin as well preserved, while the left shoulder and left part of the chest was somewhat decomposed. In fact, his skin was so well preserved that his fingerprints were clear enough to be scanned, making his print one of the oldest on record. Peat cutters caused some cuts on his back. His hair, probably cut just before his death, was about 2 inches long. His wisdom teeth were well developed, indicating he was well above 20 years of age (currently estimated at around 40), and his height has been estimated around 5’3″. All of his internal organs were very well preserved. The sides of the neck were clearly imprinted from the noose. While he died from this noose, none of his vertebrae seemed to be damaged. It is likely that he was hanged rather than strangled.
The Tollund man’s feet (replicas)
A closeup of his torso (replicated)
The contents of his large intestine indicated that his last meal (eaten between 24-12 hours before death) was a gruel comprised of barley, linseed, “gold-of-pleasure,” knotweed and other grains. Interestingly, according to P.V. Glob (1965), this recipe was tried out on an English TV program in 1954 by two archaeologists, Sir Mortimer Wheeler and Dr. Glyn Daniel. They noted that being forced to eat this gruel daily would have been enough punishment for the Tollund man. The lack of fruit or meat in his system suggest a death that took place during winter or early spring.
Some of Jutland’s earliest people lived in the area of the Tollund bog. The ancient hunting station of Klosterlund is nearby, and several burial mounds lie nearby. Tollund may have a long history as a sacrificial bog, and its name supports this to some degree: it appears as Torlund in a 1481 document, with Tor reflecting the god Thor.
Face of the Tollund man
As you can see, he was clean shaven, aside from some stubble. Now, his head is actually the only part of him that remains genuine; it was decided that the only practical to preserve the head. The body is a therefore a replica which replaced the original body in 1987. The process of preserving the head involved submerging it in a solution of water with some formalin and acetic acid added. This was then changed for a solution of 30 percent alcohol, and later again replaced with one of 99 percent alcohol, with toluol added. Finally, it was put into pure toluol mixed with paraffin. The head has since shrunk about 12 percent. This process took a year, after which the head was sent to the Silkeborg Museum, where it presently rests with the replica body in a dedicated room.
A pH๏τo of the Tollund man without his cap
Elling Woman:
Elling woman is another bog body housed at the Silkeborg Museum who was not only found in the same area as the Tollund man, but even within the same bog. She is less well-preserved than the Tollund man, so she does not have anywhere near the same level of fame as a bog body (perhaps she once was well-known, but her fame was destined to be overshadowed by the discovery of Tollund man).
She was found on June 20th, 1938, less than 100 meters from where the Tollund man would be found. She was also found by peat-cutters, and amateur archeologist Søren Jensen was first on the scene, believing it first to be the corpse of an animal before the presence of a woollen belt made it apparent that she was human. She was wrapped in both a sheepskin and a calfskin cape, and had an elaborate hairstyle. She also died by hanging, and was also accompanied by a noose. She probably died between 360 and 210 BC.
Closer view of the Elling woman with her hairstyle discernible
