Irish Bogmen

In 2003, two Irish bog men were found at Croghan Hill and Clonycavan. These two bodies were violently killed and their bodies well preserved. The body found at Croghan Hill, called Oldcroghan man was dated to back to 362 BCE (before common era) and 175 BCE. While the one found at Clonycavan, Clonycavan man dates back to 392 BCE to 201 BCE. Both sets of remains show evidence of them being upper class individuals over 2,000 years ago - before they were tortured and killed in their early twenties.

Oldcroghan Man

The body of Oldcroghan man was so well preserved that when his body was found a police investigation was launched before archaeologists arrived, even his figure print whorls are as distinct as a living bodies. His hand showed no evidence of manual labor during his lifetime and were well manicured leading to the conclusion that he came from aristocratic society. Besides from the trauma experienced during death, his body only had two scars that most likely came from paper cuts. He was found without his head and lower limbs. Surprisingly, Oldcroghan man is estimated to be 6 feet and 6 inches tall.

Before his death he was stabbed, had rope threaded through his upper arms, and his nipples were sliced.

Picture of Oldcroghan Man at the Irish National Museum of Archaeology
[ducksauz, Flickr, CC By-NC-SA 2.0]

Clonycavan Man

Clonycavan man was killed by three axe blows to the head along with an axe blow to the chest and disembowelment. Before his death he stood at only 5 feet 2 inches and utilized Iron age hair gel composed of vegetable plant oil mixed with resin from pine trees that can be found in Spain and France.

Bogman from the Irish National Museum of Archaeology
[ducksauz, Flickr, CC By-NC-SA 2.0]

Conclusions of Their Deaths

The two Irish Bog men were most likely used as ritual sacrifices to pagan gods. Keeper of Irish antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland, Ned Kelly, proposes that the bodies were sacrificed to fertility deities to ensure a good harvest of milk and corn during their ruling. These men were most likely political prisoners for some time before their deaths.

To Learn More

Owens, J. (January 17, 2006). Murdered “Bogmen” Found With Hair Gel, Manicured Nails. National Geographic News.