{"id":11387,"date":"2024-09-14T19:19:37","date_gmt":"2024-09-14T19:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/?p=11387"},"modified":"2024-09-14T19:19:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T19:19:37","slug":"mans-2400-year-old-corpse-so-well-preserved-that-his-guts-reveal-his-last-meals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/?p=11387","title":{"rendered":"Man\u2019s 2400-Year-Old Corpse So Well Preserved That His Guts Reveal His Last Meals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine finding a\u00a0body\u00a0so well preserved that you assume it must have been recently buried. So recent in fact, that you could still deduce what he ate for his last meal. Believe it or not, this is exactly what happened in the 1950s. The discovery of the Tollund Man has led to a greater understanding of how the man died.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ad-anchor-34\">\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-2 text-sm text-gray-400\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div id=\"minute-media\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"ad-anchor-18\"><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-miraculous-corpse\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Miraculous Corpse<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-162961\" src=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2389434105.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2389434105.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2389434105-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2389434105-768x512.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Silkeborg, Denmark - 06.14.2023: Tollund Man, naturally mummified corpse of a man who lived during the 5th century BC and found in 1950 by Bolling So lake. Museum Silkeborg, Denmark\n\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Peat cutters found the corpse preserved in a bog around 12km from Silkeborg in Denmark. The corpse was so well-preserved that the cutters assumed that he must have recently been murdered. However, after the corpse had been carbon dated, it was discovered to be an ancient\u00a0artifact.\u00a0Dubbed the Tollund Man, the corpse was found with a noose around its neck. This has led to the hypothesis that he may have been the victim of a ritual sacrifice.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-autopsy-of-the-tollund-man\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Autopsy of the Tollund Man<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-162964\" src=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2394394487-1.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2394394487-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2394394487-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2394394487-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The mummified corpse belonged to a five-foot-three male. He lived and died during the early Iron Age, around the fifth century BCE. The autopsy confirmed the scientists\u2019 belief that he perished due to being hung. They further revealed that it was because of the acidity of the peat bog that the Tollund Man has been so well preserved. The stomach and brain of the mummified corpse have been so well-preserved that scientists were able to examine the stomach in 2021 and determine what the man had eaten for his final meal. Scientists had previously been able to find out what a mummified corpse had eaten 2,400 years ago, only 24 hours before he died.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-study\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Study<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-162463\" src=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pixabay-356040-1-1-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pixabay-356040-1-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pixabay-356040-1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pixabay-356040-1-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pixabay-356040-1-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-pixabay-356040-1-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The findings of the Tolluns Man\u00a0study\u00a0were published in July 2021 on the Cambridge University Express, an online publication. The study was led by Nina H. Nielsen, the Silkeborg Museum\u2019s head of research. It was regarded as the most comprehensive analysis of a bog body gut ever undertaken. Titled\u00a0<em>The Last Meal of Tollund Man<\/em>, the paper chronicled how the researchers had employed a new manner of analyzing pollen, plant macrofossils, proteins, and steroid markers found in the gut so they could determine what he had eaten before\u00a0dying.\u00a0[1]<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-diet-of-the-tollund-man\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Diet of the Tollund Man<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-162465\" src=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-eva-bronzini-5733115-1-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-eva-bronzini-5733115-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-eva-bronzini-5733115-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-eva-bronzini-5733115-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-eva-bronzini-5733115-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-eva-bronzini-5733115-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>While researchers have an idea of the average\u00a0diet\u00a0consumed by the people of that time, this study provided more information about what the Tollund Man ate before his death. This in-depth insight is what makes it so interesting for the researchers involved. The study revealed that the Tollund man consumed porridge and fish on his final day. The porridge was found to contain flax and barley. They were also able to determine that he was riddled with parasites due to the abundance of intestinal worm eggs in his gut.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-additional-findings\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Findings<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-162467\" src=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-padrinan-971078-1-1024x681.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-padrinan-971078-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-padrinan-971078-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-padrinan-971078-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-padrinan-971078-1-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-padrinan-971078-1-2048x1362.jpg 2048w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The researchers also noted the presence of pale persicaria\u00a0seeds. This detail was important to their ritual theory, as these seeds were typically removed from the grain and only included for rituals. This boosted their belief that it was indeed a ritual murder, allowing them to cast new light on a long-buried subject. The researchers believe this study will go a long way in understanding the lives and deaths of the Early Iron Age Danish people.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-how-bogs-preserve-bodies\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Bogs Preserve Bodies<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-162468\" src=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-7244143-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-7244143-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-7244143-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-7244143-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-7244143-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-7244143-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" alt=\"Bog\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Several hundred mummified corpses have been discovered preserved in peat bogs, the majority in western and northern Europe. These bogs are free of oxygen, a state that helps to prevent any decay from taking place. Bogs also contain large amounts of naturally occurring chemicals known as tannins. This chemical is usually used to tan leather products. They preserve organic materials, such as the contents and soft tissues of the digestive tract. [2]<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to this preserving property, the researchers were able to determine the contents of the Tollund Man\u2019s gut. While the Tollund Man had been hung to death, other bog bodies have also been discovered indicating other types of murder. These ritualistic killings included throats that were cut, entrails pulled out, and bones that had been broken. These bodies are usually found in places where people cut peat. They also need to determine whether these cuts were perhaps produced by modern peat cutters recently.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-bottom-line-about-the-tollund-man\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Bottom Line About the Tollund Man<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-162966\" src=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2383082325.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2383082325.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2383082325-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/theheartysoul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/shutterstock_2383082325-768x512.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Silkeborg, Denmark - 06.14.2023: Tollund Man (aka Tollund Manden) is a 2400 year-old bog body found in 1950 in bog by Bolling So lake near Silkeborg. Nowadays can be seen at Museum Silkeborg, Denmark\n\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Artifacts such as the Tollund Man reveal new facts about life from the Iron Age. [3] Thanks to the bog environment, bodies such as the Tollund Man have been perfectly preserved. This has enabled researchers to constantly update their knowledge. Not only have we learned more about what they eat, but also about the complex rituals that formed an integral part of their lives. Who knows how many bog bodies are still to be discovered \u2013 and what they may still teach us about the past?<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine finding a\u00a0body\u00a0so well preserved that you assume it must have been recently buried. So recent in fact, that you could still deduce what he ate for his last meal. Believe it or not, this is exactly what happened in the 1950s. The discovery of the Tollund Man has led to a greater understanding of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/07292024_part03_46.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11387"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11389,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11387\/revisions\/11389"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/otrxio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}