The Grauballe Man

The Grauballe Man is one of the most spectacular Danish finds from prehistory. Here we see neither gold nor any other precious object, but a human being of flesh and blood - surviving from a distant and unknown past that is almost unfathomable for us.

The world's most well preserved bog body 

The Grauballe Man is the best preserved bog body from Iron Age Europe. He was found during peat digging close to the village of Grauballe near Silkeborg in Central Jutland in 1952.

Due to a very special chemical composition of the bog, the Grauballe Man was preserved incredibly well, and the museum conservators have succeeded in further preservation of his body for the future. That is why all details are there to be observed, for instance: features, hair, stubble, nails, and skin structure.

Investigations 

Over the years, and as late as in 2001, the Grauballe Man has been investigated using different scientific methods. These investigations have made it possible for us to get extremely close to a human being, who lived more than two thousand years ago.

A violent death

Evidently, the Grauballe Man suffered a sudden death: His throat was cut, and his left tibia was broken. Then his body was thrown in a water-filled bog hole left by peat diggers.

But why did he have to die this way? Throughout prehistoric times, the bogs served as gathering places, where people would worship gods or spirits and sacrifice to the supernatural beings they believed in. Consequently, in this exhibition the Grauballe Man has been interpreted as a human sacrifice.

Facts about the Grauballe Man 

The Grauballe Man was in his mid-thirties when he died. He was 5.7 feet tall and of normal build. He had worn teeth and suffered from periodontitis, but apart from that, he was fit and healthy.

His stomac and intestines contained the remains of his last meal, a porridge made from barley and wheat, which contained more than 60 different herbs and grasses. Tiny pieces of pig bones indicate that the meal may also have included meat.