Through Nature to Eternity: The Bog Bodies of Northwest Europe

200 pp. ...how are we to interpret bog bodies? Do they represent individuals who lost their way or drowned in a mire, or are we to see them as victims of crimes? Were they perhaps criminals themselves, who were punished for their offences? Or are the bodies the remains of human beings who were sacrificed to supernatural powers? This book provides answers to this and many other questions. It discusses what happened to the finds after their discovery and reviews the fascinating history of bog body research and the reliability of early find reports. Separate chapters focus on such interesting aspects as the postures of the bodies and associated finds, the last meal, clothing, the individuals' appearance and health and the causes of their deaths. The final chapter discusses the question whether the evidence presented on the preceding pages can be combined to yield a single, unambiguous interpretation.