A mummy found in County Laois in the Republic of Ireland may be the world's oldest bog body.
It has been dated to 2000BC and is 700 years older than the famous mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.
The young adult male is believed to have been a victim of ritual sacrifice. Many bog bodies have been found throughout Northern Europe - mainly in Ireland, Britain and Denmark - and exactly why they were ritually sacrificed remains a mystery.
Is this the world's oldest body found in a bog? 4,000-year-old remains found in Ireland predates Tutankhamun
Daily Mail
A mummified body dating back to 2,000 BC has been hailed the world's oldest 'bog body'.
The body, which was pulled from a bog in 2011, is 700 years older than the famous mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.
The young adult male, whose 4,000-year-old remains were found in County Laois, Ireland, is believed to have been a victim of ritual sacrifice.
The bog body in the Bord Na Mona (Irish for "Peat Board") Cashel Bog, in County Laois, was found by Jason Phelan, Bord Na Mona Machine operator
County Laois
Archaeologists have speculated that he could have been used in a type of ritual sacrifice, which was more common in the later Iron Age.
The mummy was dug from the Cúl na Móna bog in Cashel around two years ago by a Bord na Móna worker who was operating a milling machine, The Irish Times reported.
Experts first presumed that the remains dated from the Iron Age period, which stretched from 500 BC to 400 AD, matching other bodies found in Irish bogs.
But radiocarbon tests confirmed the body dated from the early Bronze Age - some 4,000 years ago.
Analysis on the peat that buried the body and a wooden stake found with the remains confirmed the assessment.
The find is predicted to shed new light on life and the burial practices of the Bronze Age in Ireland.
Eamonn Kelly, keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland, told the newspaper the oldest bog body discovered before in Ireland dates to 1,300BC.
The mummy was found in a crouched position, covered in peat. The Cashel man's arm was broken and he suffered cuts to his back that could have been deliberately made with a blade
He said the 'Cashel man' is one of the most significant archaeological finds in recent times.
The mummy was found in a crouched position, covered in peat.
The Cashel man's arm was broken and he suffered cuts to his back that could have been deliberately made with a blade.
Sadly archaeologists will never know if the boy received blows to his head, neck or chest, which are typically targeted in a deliberate attack, as his body was cut up with a milling machine when it was discovered.
Sadly archaeologists will never know if the boy received blows to his head, neck or chest, which are typically targeted in a deliberate attack, as his body was cut up with a milling machine (pictured) when it was discovered
While scientists will probably never know the cause of death, Mr Kelly said the wounds on the body alongside the presence of wooden stakes, suggest that the boy was a victim of a ritual sacrifice.
The body was also found near an inauguration site, which strengthens his theory.
He told the newspaper: 'It seems to be same type of ritual that we’ve observed in later Iron Age finds. What’s surprising here is that it’s so much earlier.'
While scientists will probably never know the cause of death, the wounds on the body alongside the presence of wooden stakes, suggest that the boy was a victim of a ritual sacrifice
The archaeologist also believes the victim was probably from a relatively important family as similar bodies recovered did not have calluses on their hands and their fingernails were well cared for.
However, the hands were missing from this particular body.
Mr Kelly said: 'We believe that the victims of these ritual killings are kings that have failed in their kingship and have been sacrificed as a consequence.'
More than 100 ancient bodies have been pulled from Ireland's bogs, which can preserve bodies for thousands of years, but few have been as well preserved as this one
The national museum of Ireland is waiting for more test results which should reveal what the man ate before he died.
More than 100 ancient bodies have been pulled from Ireland's bogs, which can preserve bodies for thousands of years, but few have been as well preserved as this one.
Similar bodies are on display at the museum's 'Kingship and Sacrifice' free exhibition.
The find is predicted to shed new light on life and the burial practices of the Bronze Age in Ireland
Tollund Man, found in a bog on Denmark's Jutland Peninsula in 1950, was hanged, probably as part of a ritual sacrifice, in around 350BC. He is so well-preserved that you can still see his face, his hat and the noose around his neck. He lived around the same time as Aristotle.
Lindow Man was found in Cheshire in England in 1984. He still has his hair, moustache and beard. He died a violent death - after a last meal of charred bread he was strangled, hit on the head, and had his throat cut - sometime between 2AD and 119AD. In 119AD, Emperor Hadrian visited the Roman Province of Britannia at the request of Britannia's Governor Quintus Pompeius Falco. Emperor Hadrian stations Legio VI Victrix in Roman Britain, to assist in quelling the resistance of a local rebellion. The legion is a key in securing the victory, and eventually replaced Legio IX Hispana at Eboracum (York).
Read more: Irish body found in County Laois bog is 4000 years old | Mail Online
It has been dated to 2000BC and is 700 years older than the famous mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.
The young adult male is believed to have been a victim of ritual sacrifice. Many bog bodies have been found throughout Northern Europe - mainly in Ireland, Britain and Denmark - and exactly why they were ritually sacrificed remains a mystery.
Is this the world's oldest body found in a bog? 4,000-year-old remains found in Ireland predates Tutankhamun
- The mummy was pulled from a County Laois bog and dates back to 2,000 BC
- The young adult male is believed to have been a victim of ritual sacrifice
- Ireland's bogs can preserve bodies for thousands of years but experts claim that few have been as well preserved as this one
Daily Mail
A mummified body dating back to 2,000 BC has been hailed the world's oldest 'bog body'.
The body, which was pulled from a bog in 2011, is 700 years older than the famous mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.
The young adult male, whose 4,000-year-old remains were found in County Laois, Ireland, is believed to have been a victim of ritual sacrifice.
The bog body in the Bord Na Mona (Irish for "Peat Board") Cashel Bog, in County Laois, was found by Jason Phelan, Bord Na Mona Machine operator
County Laois
Archaeologists have speculated that he could have been used in a type of ritual sacrifice, which was more common in the later Iron Age.
The mummy was dug from the Cúl na Móna bog in Cashel around two years ago by a Bord na Móna worker who was operating a milling machine, The Irish Times reported.
Experts first presumed that the remains dated from the Iron Age period, which stretched from 500 BC to 400 AD, matching other bodies found in Irish bogs.
But radiocarbon tests confirmed the body dated from the early Bronze Age - some 4,000 years ago.
Analysis on the peat that buried the body and a wooden stake found with the remains confirmed the assessment.
The find is predicted to shed new light on life and the burial practices of the Bronze Age in Ireland.
Eamonn Kelly, keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland, told the newspaper the oldest bog body discovered before in Ireland dates to 1,300BC.
The mummy was found in a crouched position, covered in peat. The Cashel man's arm was broken and he suffered cuts to his back that could have been deliberately made with a blade
He said the 'Cashel man' is one of the most significant archaeological finds in recent times.
The mummy was found in a crouched position, covered in peat.
The Cashel man's arm was broken and he suffered cuts to his back that could have been deliberately made with a blade.
Sadly archaeologists will never know if the boy received blows to his head, neck or chest, which are typically targeted in a deliberate attack, as his body was cut up with a milling machine when it was discovered.
Sadly archaeologists will never know if the boy received blows to his head, neck or chest, which are typically targeted in a deliberate attack, as his body was cut up with a milling machine (pictured) when it was discovered
While scientists will probably never know the cause of death, Mr Kelly said the wounds on the body alongside the presence of wooden stakes, suggest that the boy was a victim of a ritual sacrifice.
The body was also found near an inauguration site, which strengthens his theory.
He told the newspaper: 'It seems to be same type of ritual that we’ve observed in later Iron Age finds. What’s surprising here is that it’s so much earlier.'
While scientists will probably never know the cause of death, the wounds on the body alongside the presence of wooden stakes, suggest that the boy was a victim of a ritual sacrifice
The archaeologist also believes the victim was probably from a relatively important family as similar bodies recovered did not have calluses on their hands and their fingernails were well cared for.
However, the hands were missing from this particular body.
Mr Kelly said: 'We believe that the victims of these ritual killings are kings that have failed in their kingship and have been sacrificed as a consequence.'
More than 100 ancient bodies have been pulled from Ireland's bogs, which can preserve bodies for thousands of years, but few have been as well preserved as this one
The national museum of Ireland is waiting for more test results which should reveal what the man ate before he died.
More than 100 ancient bodies have been pulled from Ireland's bogs, which can preserve bodies for thousands of years, but few have been as well preserved as this one.
Similar bodies are on display at the museum's 'Kingship and Sacrifice' free exhibition.
The find is predicted to shed new light on life and the burial practices of the Bronze Age in Ireland
Tollund Man, found in a bog on Denmark's Jutland Peninsula in 1950, was hanged, probably as part of a ritual sacrifice, in around 350BC. He is so well-preserved that you can still see his face, his hat and the noose around his neck. He lived around the same time as Aristotle.
Lindow Man was found in Cheshire in England in 1984. He still has his hair, moustache and beard. He died a violent death - after a last meal of charred bread he was strangled, hit on the head, and had his throat cut - sometime between 2AD and 119AD. In 119AD, Emperor Hadrian visited the Roman Province of Britannia at the request of Britannia's Governor Quintus Pompeius Falco. Emperor Hadrian stations Legio VI Victrix in Roman Britain, to assist in quelling the resistance of a local rebellion. The legion is a key in securing the victory, and eventually replaced Legio IX Hispana at Eboracum (York).
Read more: Irish body found in County Laois bog is 4000 years old | Mail Online
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