Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-2,500-year-old “bog” in Britain.
A police statement said the discovery was made after police were alerted to reports of human remains found in peat bog near the village of Belaghy in central Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Police.
“Initial investigations did not allow us to be certain whether the remains were ancient or the result of a recent death,” police Lt. Nicky Deehan said in a statement.
“We therefore proceeded with the exhumation of the remains in a careful and professional manner, with due consideration given to forensic aspects,” Deehan said. “With this approach, every DNA Evidence may be secured for a potential criminal investigation. As it turns out, that wasn’t the case in this case. ”
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Instead, authorities learned they had discovered “.swamp”, human bones that were incredibly well preserved due to their location in damp, spongy soil and low oxygen levels. Forensic anthropologists determined that the bones were scattered across the peat bog and had only recently been reassembled. A teenage boy who died at some point between the ages of 13 and 17.
Most of his bones have been recovered, but the skull remains missing, and researchers are unsure whether it was separated from his body before or after his death.
More than 1,000 bog remains have been discovered in Europe over the centuries, dating from the Stone Age to modern times. Some of the bodies in the swamp appear to be well-preserved bodies; Tollundmann A 2023 study published in the same journal found that the bodies from Denmark were those of victims, and that the other bodies were likely the burials of deviants and executed criminals, or even those of accidental deaths such as drowning. There is a possibility that it was. ancient. However, it is unclear how the teenager from Belagie met his end.
The bog body was so well preserved that researchers were able to recover some skin, fingernails, toenails and “possibly a kidney,” the statement said.
“The fact that the body is in a good state of preservation means that radiocarbon dating “It could potentially be used to confirm time of death,” Deehan said. “Radiocarbon dating estimated the time of death to be within 2,000 years.” [and] 2,500 years ago, approximately 500 BC This is the first time radiocarbon dating has been used on wetlands in Northern Ireland. [bog body] It still exists today, making it a truly unique archaeological find for Northern Ireland. ”
Authorities are transferring the remains to the National Museum of Northern Ireland for further investigation to determine how the boy died.