Damendorf Man
German bog body
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Damendorf Man is a German bog body discovered in 1900[1] in the See Moor at the village of Damendorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Radiocarbon analysis places his death between 135 and 335 AD, during the Roman Imperial period. The body is notable for its remarkable state of preservation. Over centuries, the weight of accumulating peat compressed the corpse into a thin, flattened silhouette, leaving the skin, hair, and clothing intact while most bones collapsed or decayed. The find included a leather belt, shoes, fragments of woollen breeches, and a pair of woollen puttees.
Seemoor near Damendorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Damendorf Man | |
|---|---|
Damendorf Man on display at the Archaeological State Museum at Schloss Gottorf | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | 135–335 AD Seemoor near Damendorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Body discovered | 28 May 1900 Seemoor near Damendorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Resting place | Archaeological State Museum at Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig, Germany |
| Known for | Flattened bog body from the Roman Iron Age |
The remains, one of the most visually striking bog bodies from Schleswig-Holstein, are on permanent display at the Archäologisches Landesmuseum at Schloss Gottorf.
Discovery
The Man of Damendorf was discovered in the Seemoor, a peat bog located about 200 metres (660 ft) east of the village of Damendorf and roughly 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) northwest of Groß Wittensee, within the landscape of the Hüttener Berge. The bog covers around 23 hectares (57 acres) and was historically used for cutting peat as a household fuel.[2] Today it is a protected wetland and designated nature experience area, traversed by a circular trail of about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi).[3][4]
On 28 May 1900, two peat cutters working on land owned by a local innkeeper named Hagge uncovered fragments of woollen clothing at a depth of roughly 2.5 to 3 metres (8.2 to 9.8 ft). As they continued digging, they exposed the body of a man preserved in the bog. The workers reported the find to the local headman, Sye, who passed the information to the district administrator, Freiherr von der Reck. Von der Reck immediately telegraphed the discovery to the Museum vaterländischer Alterthümer in Kiel. In response, museum curator Dr. Splieth and von der Reck travelled to Damendorf to examine and secure the remains.
After inspecting the find, they arranged to purchase it from Hagge. The body was carefully packed, transported to the museum, and arrived in Kiel on 1 June 1900, where conservators began the first stages of preservation.[5]
Prior to the discovery of the Damendorf Man, the remains of what are believed to be a woman were found in the same bog in 1884. Only the clothing of the corpse remains. Another body, that of a girl dating to 810 BCE, was discovered in 1934.[6]
Display and examination
The remains are on display at the Archäologisches Landesmuseum. Professor P.V. Glob wrote that the man died in 300 BCE. What is unique about this bog body is that the weight of the peat in the bog had flattened his body.[7] Only his hair, skin, nails, and a few clothes were preserved, along with traces of some bones.[7][8] He was found with a leather belt, shoes, parts of a pair of woollen breeches, and a pair of woollen puttees.[9]
Single parts of the breeches
Tablet wefts on the breeches cloth
Puttees
Shoes
