The phenomenon of “swamp mummies” on the continent has long fascinated scientists. In many European countries, countless corpses have been found, preserved in the cool acidic environment and in the organic compounds of the swamps. Nevertheless, despite a lot of research, scientists have not fully understood the phenomenon of swamp bodies until now.

An international team of archaeologists has analysed hundreds of ancient human remains found in the swamps of Europe and found that these “swamp corpses” are part of a history spanning millennia. From prehistoric times to the early modern period, people were buried in swamps. The team also found that most people were killed by the cause of death.

Some swamp carcᴀsses are known for being well-preserved, such as Lindow Man in the UK, Tollund Man in Denmark, and Yde Girl in the Netherlands. These people have provided valuable information about their lives in the distant past, and researchers have been able to reconstruct details such as their last meal and even the cause of death. Most of them were killed, but were thrown into the swamp while they were alive. However, these well-preserved specimens are only a small fraction of those that have been found.

“Thousands of people died in the swamp and were rediscovered many years later during excavations, and the well-preserved examples are just a small part of the big story,” said Dr. Roy van Beek of Wageningen University.

So Dr. Van Beeck and a team of researchers from the Netherlands, Sweden and Estonia decided to conduct a detailed, large-scale survey of hundreds of swamp carcᴀsses found in Europe. The study, published in the journal Antiquity, analysed more than 266 people from multiple different locations across the continent to get a more complete picture of the corpses buried in the swamps.

The swamp corpses that Dr. Beek studied fall into three broad categories: “swamp mummies,” which are conspicuous corpses with well-preserved skin, soft tissue, and hair; “Swamp Skeleton”, the limbs are intact, but the flesh has long since decayed and disappeared, leaving only the bones; Body remains of the “Swamp Mummy” and “Swamp Skeleton” traits.

The different types of corpses are mostly the result of different preservation conditions, some swamps are more suitable for preserving human tissues, and some are more suitable for preserving bones. So distribution doesn’t tell us a lot about a person’s past behavior, and it’s not easy to get the full picture.

“This new study shows that past archaeological studies of a small impressive group of swamp mummies have been exaggerated and distorted our understanding,” Dr. Van Beek said. “All three categories of corpses provide valuable information, and when they are combined, a whole new picture emerges.”

a) Examples of swamp mummies (Estonian rabbivere); b) Mummified swamp skull (Stidsholt, Denmark); c) Swamp skeleton (Luttra, Sweden); d) Displaced skeletal remains (Alken Enge, Denmark)

The earliest discoveries in Europe came from Ireland, England, and Germany, suggesting that the tradition continued into the Middle Ages and the early modern period.

The new study also shows that many of the findings show signs of violence. If the cause of death can be determined, then most people seem to have suffered a terrible end, most likely deliberately left in the swamp. These abuses often result from sacrificial rituals and executions of perpetrators or victims of violence. However, over the centuries, written sources have also attested to a large number of accidental deaths and suicides in the marshes.

“This suggests that we should not look for a single explanation for all of our findings,” Dr. Van Beek said, “and that accidental deaths and suicides may also be more common in the early stages.” ”

“Overall, by studying these swamp corpses, we can construct a grand picture that spans history and ethnicity, and it tells many stories about fundamental human themes such as violence, religion and tragedy,” Dr. van Beek said.