Lindow Man is the name for a preserved human corpse discovered at Lindow Moss, a peat bog in Cheshire , in northwestern England , in 1984. A peat bog is a wetland in which the soil consists primarily of peat, partially decayed mosses and other plant matter. Soil and water conditions in a peat bog greatly slow the decay of organic (biological) matter. Remains preserved through burial in a bog are called bog bodies . Radiocarbon dating showed that Lindow man lived and died about 2,000 years ago. The body is on display at the British Museum in London.
Much of the Lindow Man’s skin, head, torso, upper limbs, and right leg were well preserved. It is the best-preserved bog body known from England. Archaeologists determined Lindow Man was an adult male, who probably died about age 25. They also observed several clues that suggest he was a member of upper class society of his time. He appeared healthy and well fed. His hair, beard, and mustache were well trimmed and his hands showed no callouses or damaged fingernails that typically result from hard labor. His body was unclothed except for a band of fox fur around one arm. His stomach preserved remains of his last meal ofunleavened (unraised) bread.
Lindow Man died a violent death. The corpse shows that he suffered two head wounds, possibly made with a heavy, narrow blade axe, that were probably fatal. He also suffered from blows to the torso that broke one rib. He may have been strangled by a sinew found around his neck and his throat had also been cut. His body was then intentionally placed face down in the watery bog. Scholars know that Celts , the ancient inhabitants of England, deposited valuable items in watery places as offerings to the gods. They think that Lindow Man may have been killed by Druid priests as a human sacrifice .
