Provided by: PSNI
2,000-year-old human bones have been discovered in Northern Ireland’s Belaghy peat bogs. This peatland was made famous by Nobel Prize-winning author Seamus Heaney, who suggested that it may harbor archaeological specimens.
The bones were recovered by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) after archaeologists were alerted to the bones in Londonderry in October last year.
The remains are believed to be between 2,000 and 2,500 years old and belong to a teenage boy.
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During the excavation, Detective Sergeant Nicky Deehan said: “Firstly, we discovered the tibia, fibula, humerus, ulna and radius associated with the left lower leg and right arm, respectively.” BBC. “Approximately 5 meters south of the surface ruins, bones of the lower left arm and left femur were found protruding from the ground. Further examination of the area between the body and the surface revealed additional finger bones, a claw, and bones of the left femur. Part of the sternum was found.
The intact bones and skin made the discovery an “extraordinary discovery on a global scale,” the officer added.
The cause of death remains unknown. His head was missing and experts could not determine whether it was removed postmortem.
Clumps of fossilized tree remains suggest that the remains may have been buried among the trees.
“This is important not only because of its Iron Age status, but also because of its landscape context,” explains Queen’s University researcher Alastair Ruffel. “We’re in a series of wetlands north of Lough Neagh. If you think about how glaciers moved here and then how humans arrived, it’s very hard to imagine where they would originate. It’s interesting.”
Bog’s remains were exhumed on land owned by the Northern Ireland Agriculture Department, which is working with the National Museum to transport the bodies for further investigation and preservation.