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Bog bodies
The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Germany,
the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark have all produced a
number of bog bodies, mummies of people deposited in
sphagnum bogs, apparently as a result of murder or
ritual sacrifices.
Patricia Velazquez in
The Mummy
In such cases, the acidity of the
water, cold temperature and lack of oxygen combined to
tan the body's skin and soft tissues. The skeleton
typically disintegrates over time. Such mummies are
remarkably well-preserved on emerging from the bog, with
skin and internal organs intact; it is even possible to
determine the contents of last meal was by examining the
stomach.
A famous case is that of the Haraldskær Woman,
who was discovered by labourers in a bog in Jutland in
1835. She was erroneously identified as an early
medieval Danish queen, and for that reason was placed in
a royal sarcophagus at the Saint Nicolai Church, Vejle,
where she currently remains.
Mummy - In South America
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