2500 year old bog man proves vanity is timeless
Found fully preserved in a peat bog outside Dublin in 2003, the
Clonycavan man continues to shed new light on an ancient civilization.
The 5ft 2in man that detectives originally thought was an IRA
victim from the 1970s is known as “the Iron Age Beckham” because
of his slicked-back hairstyle. New research has proven that the
Clonycavan man achieved that look with the help of an unlikely
product- ancient imported hair gel.
Archaeologists from the University of York, England analyzed
the substance, and found it was made of vegetable plant oil and
resin. Further study revealed the resin came from pine trees found
in Spain and southwest France. This discovery has been hailed
as the first proof of a trade in luxury good between Ireland and
Southern Europe some 2,500 years ago.
Buried alone, and discovered by a farmer cutting peat, the mummified
Clonycavan man is believed to be an aristocrat. He was killed
by a series of violent blows to the back of the head, evidence
to archaeologists that he may have been part of a ritual sacrifice.
The Clonycavan man lived sometime between 392 and 201 BC. Since
discovery, his body has been preserved in a lab in wet peat, and
only exposed for short periods of time for testing. Scientists
are very careful with the Clonycavan man; of the 350 so-called “bog
bodies” that have been unearthed in Northern Europe, few
have had such well-preserved fleshed remains.
|
