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Haraldskær Woman

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Archaeology

   Haraldskær Woman in glass covered coffin, Velje, Denmark
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   Haraldskær Woman in glass covered coffin, Velje, Denmark

   The Haraldskær Woman (or Haraldskaer Woman) is a well-preserved Iron
   Age bog body naturally preserved in a bog in Jutland, Denmark. The body
   was discovered in 1835 by labourers excavating peat on the Haraldskær
   Estate. Disputes regarding the age and identity of this mysterious well
   preserved body were settled in 1997, when radiocarbon dating determined
   conclusively that her death occurred around 500 BC. This archaeological
   find was one of the earliest bog bodies discovered, the other two known
   being Tollund Man (Denmark) and Lindow Man (United Kingdom).

   The body of the Haraldskær Woman is remarkably preserved due to the
   anaerobic conditions and tannins of the peat bog in which she was
   found. Not only was the intact skeleton found, but also the skin and
   internal organs. Her body lies in state in an ornate glass-covered
   coffin, allowing viewing of the full frontal body, inside the Church of
   Saint Nicolai in central Vejle, Denmark.

Mistaken identity

   Saint Nicolai Church, Vejle, Denmark
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   Saint Nicolai Church, Vejle, Denmark

   After discovery of the body, early theories of her identity centered
   around the persona of the Norwegian Queen Gunhild, who lived around
   1000 AD. Most of the bog bodies recovered indicate the victim died from
   a violent murder or ritualistic sacrifice. These theories are
   consistent with the body being hurled into a bog as opposed to burial
   in dry earth.

   The Jómsvíkinga saga tells that Queen Gunhild was murdered and then
   drowned in a bog, her death having been ordered by the Danish Harald
   Bluetooth. Based upon the belief of her royal personage, King Frederick
   VI of Denmark commanded an elaborate sarcophagus be carved to hold her
   body. This royal treatment of Haraldskær Woman’s remains explains the
   excellent state of conservation of the corpse as of 2006

   A young 19th century archaeologist named J.J.A. Worsaae held the
   opposing theory, that Haraldskær Woman derived from the Iron Age.
   Radiocarbon testing in the year 1977 revealed Haraldskær woman died
   about 500 BC, and thus could not possibly be Queen Gunhild. Even though
   she is not now connected to any royal lineage, her body still lies in
   state in a display of high honour in the north nave of Saint Nicolai
   Church.

Details of Haraldskær Woman

   Haraldskær Estate in the year 1857
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   Haraldskær Estate in the year 1857

   The body of Haraldskær woman has the complete skin envelope intact, as
   well as internal organs. She is estimated to have died at the age of
   approximately 50. She is noted to have a lancing wound to the knee
   joint area, where some object (possibly a sharp branch) penetrated to
   some depth. Whether she was a murder victim or a ritual sacrifice is
   not clear. In any case, Haraldskær Woman exhibits a breathtaking state
   of preservation. Her skin is deeply bronzed with robust skin tone and
   all the body joints are preserved with overlying skin in a state as if
   she died a year ago, albeit slightly desiccated.

   Forensic analysis was performed on Haraldskær Woman in the year 2000,
   revealing stomach contents of unhusked millet and blackberries. Her
   neck had markings as if a rope may have been applied for torture or
   strangulation. A determination was made that death was a form of ritual
   killing, as indicated by forensic data and also since cremation was the
   prevailing mode of interment in that age in Jutland.

   Haraldskær Woman was likely a member of the Cimbri tribe, which was
   more closely related to Celtic rather than Germanic peoples. The Cimbri
   are thought to have engaged in ritualistic sacrifice, a practice which
   may have included Haraldskær Woman as a victim. A Y-chromosome genetic
   marker known as S28, has been identified as a unique indicator of
   Cimbri people. This genetic marker is associated with the descendants
   of Iron Age inhabitants.

Bog chemistry

   There are a limited number of bogs which have existed for millennia
   that have the correct conditions for preservation of mammalian tissue.
   Most of these bogs occur in northern Europe, where approximately 700
   ancient bodies have been discovered as of the year 2006. These bogs are
   formed in areas which lack drainage and hence have little freshwater
   exchange; they are also characterized by virtually completely anaerobic
   conditions. This environment, devoid of oxygen, denies the prevalent
   subsurface aerobic organisms any opportunity to initiate the tissue
   decay process. Modern experimenters have been able to mimic bog
   conditions in the laboratory and demonstrate the preservation process
   well, albeit over shorter time frames than the 2500 years Haraldskær
   Woman has survived.

   The bog chemistry environment involves a completely saturated acidic
   environment, where considerable concentrations of organic acids and
   aldehydes are present. Layers of sphagnum and peat assist in preserving
   the cadavers by enveloping the tissue in an immobilizing matrix,
   impeding water circulation and any oxygenation.

   An additional feature of anaerobic preservation by acidic bogs is the
   ability to conserve hair, clothing and leather items. An excellent
   example of the complete scalp hair as well as clothing attire being
   preserved is for the Iron Age Egtved Girl, also recovered in Jutland,
   Denmark.

   Most of the bog bodies discovered had some aspects of decay or else
   were not properly conserved. When such specimens are exposed to the
   normal atmosphere without special conservation techniques, they may
   rapidly begin the decomposition process. As a result of such
   mishandling, many specimens have been effectively destroyed.

Relation to other bog bodies

   Geographically the principal locations where bog bodies have been
   discovered are Denmark, northern Germany, Holland, the United Kingdom
   and Ireland. Many of the bodies have been recovered in the routine
   extraction of peat for fuel and soil amendment uses. The oldest of
   these bodies dates to about 8000 BC, while the majority of specimens
   derive from the Iron Age to Roman era (about 800 BC to 400 AD). Major
   excavations have occurred in Jutland following the discovery that
   systematic conservation of Iron Age bodies and buildings was
   attributable to acidic anaerobic bog habitats.

Haraldskær Woman in literature

   The first literary reference to Haraldskær Woman was in the 1845 work
   of Danish playwright Jens Christian Hostrup. This dramatic work, The
   Sparrow and the Crane Dance, portrays Queen Gunhild as a mysterious
   ghostly personage who materializes before a tailor to present him with
   a magical ring. The gift alters the way people perceive the beneficiary
   and transforms him into a heroic figure. The play ridicules the
   bourgeoisie's inability to engage the realities of the mid-nineteenth
   century, and the work indirectly discredits the theory that the
   Haraldskær Woman was actually Queen Gunhild, thus becoming the first
   major public endorsement of Worsaae’s hypothesis.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haraldsk%C3%A6r_Woman"
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