Bog Mummies Research Paper

Bog Mummies

In 1640 a bog body was discovered by a farmer in Holstein, Germany. This was possibly the first recorded instance of such a discovery, but what is a bog, how are human beings preserved in one, and how are bog mummies different from others? This essay will explain the one-of-a-kind characteristics of a bog and how all of these events can take place in one.

To begin, wetlands, such as bogs, all have basic characteristics that group them together, however they still manage to maintain individuality. A wetland, by definition is, “an area saturated in water long enough to support special plants with an adaptation to said areas” (Nelson & Chamberlain). Four main types of wetlands are found around the world. Marshes and swamps are wetlands

with many nutrients, a neutral pH, and lots of plant and animal life. Fens and bogs, on the other hand, have slightly acidic water, and few nutrients. A fen’s water is less acidic than a bog’s with more nutrients, but if a Fen is cut off from its groundwater supply it becomes a bog. Bogs are formed by either terrestrialization or paludification. Terrestrialization occurs when sphagnum moss grows and fills a lake or pond, and paludification is when sphagnum moss grows over land and traps water inside. (Wetlands Classifications and Types)
Therefore, spontaneous mummification occurs in bogs because of chemical reactions that happen in them, these bog mummies have special traits because of their mummification process. Sphagnum moss takes in salt from the air, releases acids into water and produces tannins (Barclay). Bacteria that normally would live in bog water are killed because of the moss. Without bacteria decomposition can not take place. As a result, everything that dies in the bog water does not decompose, including sphagnum moss and human bodies. Sphagnum moss in the bottom of a bog becomes peat, which surrounds any dead bodies that end up in a bog. Acidic water enters the body through pores in the skin and mummifies it. Tannins turn the skin to leather and dissolve calcium phosphate. These circumstances are why bog bodies have no bones, leathery skin, and a moist corpse.
Despite bog bodies technically being mummies, “Mummy,” is a broad term.

Several types of mummies exist and they all have a variety of attributes. Some other types of mummies are Egyptian, Ice, and African/Asian mummies. The first Egyptian mummies were spontaneous as Egypt’s climate was dry and Egyptians dug shallow graves. Once Egyptian’s realized bodies could be conserved they developed a more complex technique using anthropogenic mummification, or mummification caused by humans. Specifically, Wikipedia’s article on mummies describes the process Egyptians used. Bodies were disemboweled and washed out with a mix of spices and wine. Then organs were dried out and sealed in jars while the body was wrapped in linen. Finally, the body was treated in resin and placed into a coffin or sarcophagus also treated in resin. (“Mummy”) African and Asian mummies had the same characteristics and climate. In contrast, Siberian and Incan mummies are mummified in ice. Unlike Egyptian, African, and Asian mummies, ice mummies are not dried out. Their bodies retained their original structure. Egyptian anthropogenic mummies had better quality depending on their class and bodies were preserved for religious reasons, while ice mummies were normally sacrifices, and Asian and African ones were normally unintentional. In summary, all mummies were not created equally, and bodies were mummified for many diverse

reasons.
By looking at time period and possible causes of death one can infer how and why a mummy died.

For example, the Tollund Man was mummified in a bog placed in the fetal position with his eyes and mouth closed. After examining his body scientists saw a rope around his neck and decided he was placed in the bog but ultimately died from being hanged. Consequently, around four centuries later during the Roman Empire, Cornelius Tacitus wrote down stories traders who went to Northern Europe would tell him. One of the things Tacitus wrote stated, “traitors and renegades hang in those trees, cowards, gutless and unnatural fornicators are pressed down under a wicker hurdle into the slimy mud of a bog.”(“Why Did Tollund Man Have to Die?”) However, during Tollund Man’s time period we also know that people were sacrificed to the gods. This means he was either hanged for fornication and placed into the bog by his lover or a sacrifice to the gods and placed into the bog by his family. Bog bodies were also found in the Windover archaeological site in Florida. A boy with spina bifida, a disease that caused his lower half to be paralyzed, was also laid in a bog. History shows that this bog was used as a burial ground for villagers. An analyzation of the body shows the boy was cared for extremely well until he was eventually buried by most likely his loved ones. (“Time Travellers: People of the Bog”) Although both bodies had contrasting reasons for their death it is acceptable to assume they were

both buried by those who cared about them.
In conclusion, bogs are a unique form of wetland created because of distinct chemical reactions that cause spontaneous mummification. When scientists look at mummified bodies reasons for death and information on the body’s life are unveiled. A bog body’s well preserved features will always be an interesting topic of research for scientists and common people alike.