| The Nederfrederiksmose Man Human Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | The Nederfrederiksmose Man |
| Age | Unknown |
| Sex | Male |
| Status | Unknown |
| Height | 170-190cm |
| Source | |
| Culture | Medieval Danish |
| Date(s) | c.1040-1155. |
| Site | Fattiggårdens Moses, Denmark |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Old Norse Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Catalog # | none |
Nederfrederiksmose Man was found on May 25th, 1898 in Fattiggårdens mose near the village of Kragelund, north west of Silkeborg, Denmark. Two workers found the body with a peat spade while working in the bog. All work was halted, and the authorities were contacted. The body was found wearing a Bronze Age style cloak. The man wore a kirtle of coarse woolen cloth, the legs were bare, but on his feet he had short leather boots, laced over the instep. Because of the boots, the find was originally dated to the 12th or 13th Century. The boots have not been preserved.
Mummification[]
Nederfrederiksmose Man was found well preserved in a bog. Generally, the chemical composition and properties of a bog will destroy the bones but preserve the soft tissues creating a leathery human corpse. Nederfrederiksmose man was found lying on his back with his left eyeball and both ears preserved. He was also found with a full beard and long hair. His nails and skeleton were intact, along with other soft tissues; however, the inner organs were not identifiable.
Studies[]
Since the discovery of this bog body, many studies have been done on his clothing at the National Museum of Denmark, most recently in 1998. The tunic was a twill, with a light grey-brown warp and a white weft. The 1140 mm long Kragelund shirt reached down to the middle thigh of the body. On the basis of this measurement, the man’s height was estimated to be an unusual 190 cm (6 feet 2.8 inches). The tunic had a shoulder width is 630 mm, (about 25 inches) and there is a selvedge along one side of the body piece. The neck is unusual, pointed in front and back and has a 7cm long slit in the front, the garment has two gores in the front, two in the back, and two on either side, all of them gathered into the points, each of the four 600mm long gussets have been gathered in five parallel upright pleats before being sewn to the garment.
Pathology[]
The body was found with torn skin and a broken right tibia accompanied by a callus knot. It was suspected, but never proven, that he was a traveler who fell into the marshes. There was also a suggestion that because of his orientation in the ground, he was involved in a major battle and was buried in place.
Additional[]
Nederfrederiksmose Man was the first bog body to be photographed in its place of discovery. The in situ photograph of the bog body also known as Frederiksdal Man and Kragelund Man is the oldest of any bog body. The image was taken during the 1898 excavation.
External Links[]
References[]
Bodies of the Bogs: Nederfrederiksmose. (n.d.). Archaeology Magazine Archives. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/bog/neder.html
FREDERIKSDALMANDEN. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.frederiksdal-info.dk/frederiksdalmanden.htm
Kragelund Tunic. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://research.fibergeek.com/2014/09/10/kragelund-tunic/