How Healthy were the Bog People?
Bog bodies seem to fall into two extreme categories: those who were physically strong and healthy at the time of death and those with visible disabilities. Old Croghan Man, one of the most recent bog bodies to be discovered in Ireland, must have been an impressive sight when he was alive sometime between 362 and 175 BC. Although only his torso survives intact, experts have been able to calculate his height from his arm span, estimating it as somewhere around 6 ft 5 inches tall.
Not only was Old Croghan man tall; he was well built overall with his arms showing substantial muscle development. Unsurprisingly, analysis has revealed that he was well-nourished throughout most of his life, enjoying a rich, meat-based diet. Old Croghan Man also seems to have led a life of relative ease as his manicured hands show no signs of hard labor.
However, at the other end of the spectrum are a group of bodies that seem to be not only socially but physically disadvantaged. Before she was confined to her bog, sixteen-year-old Yde Girl was wrapped in a cloak that had seen better days, indicating her poverty or at the very least a lack of social worth. Yde Girl also suffered from slight scoliosis of the spine, which lead her to rest her weight on her right foot. Callusing caused by this is still visible on her right big toe. Due to her deformity, Yde girl would probably have walked with an awkward gait, her right foot slightly twisted inwards.
However, minor ailments plagued even the most pampered and privileged. Based on his smooth hands, unmarked by signs of hard labor, experts have assumed that, like Old Croghan man, Denmark’s Graubelle Man was a member of a local elite. However, Harris lines on his teeth show that during childhood, his development was interrupted by periods of malnutrition- a testament to the uncertainty of life for everyone in prehistoric communities. Lindow man’s hands also suggested he did little manual work. However, he still suffered from roundworm and whipworm. Even the robust Old Croghan Man had contracted pleurisy at some point in his life.
However, one thing the European bog bodies have in common is they all died violent deaths.