Ballymacombs More Woman

 

       The site in Bellaghy, Co Londonderry, where human remains were found in October 2023

Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Irish bog bodies are in the news again with the discovery in October 2023 of ancient human remains in a Co Derry bog. It was found by workers at a peat extraction company at Newferry, near Bellaghy. The remains have been dated to around 343 BC to 1 BC, during the Iron Age.

Originally believed to be male, it is now thought the remains are those of a woman aged between 17 and 22 years old who has been given the name Ballymacombs More Woman. The individual had an estimated height of around 1.7m (5' 6").

The study, led by National Museums NI, has involved collaboration with organisations across Ireland, the UK and Europe, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, National Museum of Ireland, Queen's University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University of Copenhagen, University of Glasgow, and University of Bradford.

This discovery has caused considerable excitement among archaeologists and is even more significant given that most of the bog preserved individuals that have been found from this period are male.

       The PSNI’s body recovery team at the site in Bellaghy

Photograph: Police Service of Northern Ireland/PA Wire

            The body was well preserved, but the skull was absent and was not recovered. Cut marks on the neck vertebrae indicate the cause of death as intentional decapitation, possibly as part of a ritual and sacrifice during the Iron Age period. Interestingly, part of an unidentified woven item made of plant material was also recovered from the burial site. Specialists are currently working to identify the object.

Bog Bodies

The term “Bog Bodies” is used to describe human remains which have been naturally preserved by the chemistry of Northern Europe’s bogs. Hundreds of bog bodies have been discovered in the boglands of Europe over the last few centuries, of which about 130 have been found in Ireland. Some of the human remains discovered show signs of torture and execution, with evidence of hanging, strangulation, stabbing and bludgeoning.

The Ballymacombs More Woman has been hailed as ‘one of the most important archaeological discoveries on the island of Ireland’ Photograph: Police Service of Northern Ireland/PA Wire

The oldest known bog body is the Koelbjerg Woman from Denmark, who has been dated to 8000 BC, during the Mesolithic period or Middle Stone Age. Most bog bodies – including famous examples such as Tollund Man, Grauballe Man and Lindow Man – date from the Iron Age and have been found in Northern Europe, particularly Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The newest bog bodies are those of soldiers killed in the Russian wetlands during the Second World War.

In 1950, Tollund Man’s discoverers “found a face so fresh they could only suppose they had stumbled on a recent murder.” Photograph: Smithsonian Magazine

Many bog bodies have been found in marginal areas such as ancient boundaries and wetlands. While most of Northern Europe lay under a thick canopy of forest, bogs did not and were open to the sky. In a sense, they were borderlands to what lay beyond. Radiocarbon dating shows that most bog bodies date from the Iron Age, between 500 B.C. and A.D. 100.

Other Irish Bog Bodies

In Ireland, Cashel Man was unearthed in 2011 in Cul na Mona bog in Cashel, County Tipperary.

In 2003, peat cutters found Oldcroghan Man and Clonycavan Man in two different bogs in Ireland. Both had lived between 400 and 175 B.C., and both had their nipples mutilated. The best-preserved bodies were all found in raised bogs, which contain few minerals and very little oxygen.

Kingship

Experts believe that many of the Irish Iron Age bog bodies are the remains of former kings who were sacrificed. The scarcity of such finds suggests that the sacrificial killings were only undertaken when a king’s reign had proven unsuccessful because of defeat in war, or due to famine or pestilence.

In ancient Ireland, sucking a king’s nipples was a gesture of submission and a means of placing oneself under the protection of the king. Archaeologists believe that the cutting of the nipples was part of the ritual in which he was ‘decommissioned’ from the role of king.

The archaeologist, Eamon Kelly, Keeper of Antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland, points out that a key aspect of kingship was to ensure the annual success of the harvest, to safeguard crops and livestock from disease, and to prevent inclement weather, warfare, and theft.

Important discovery

Niamh Baker, Curator of Archaeology at National Museums NI, described the Ballymacombs More Woman as one of the most important archaeological discoveries on the island of Ireland".

"This important discovery gives us a glimpse into the lives of the people of our ancient past and offers insights into how they lived, interacted with their environment, and developed their cultures," she said.

Professor of Archaeology at the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen's University, Eileen Murphy, who conducted the osteological assessment which provided a biological profile for the individual and ascertained the cause of their death said:

“As is the case for so many Iron Age bog bodies, the young woman suffered a highly violent death which involved the flow of blood from her throat followed by decapitation.

The head was taken away, but the body was left where it fell only to be discovered by machine workers some 2,000 years later."

Conclusion

Ballymacombs More Woman from County Derry has been dated to 343 BC to 1 BC, during the Iron Age. The discovery is particularly significant given that most of the bog preserved individuals that have been found from this period are male. Cut marks on her neck vertebrae indicate the cause of death as decapitation, possibly as part of a ritual and sacrifice.

Other recent bog bodies from Ireland include Cashel Man, Oldcroghan Man and Clonycavan Man. Famous examples such as Tollund Man, Grauballe Man and Lindow Man, all dating from the Iron Age, have been found in Northern Europe, particularly Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

For more information see:

https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2024/0125/1428560-bog-body-derry/

            https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/europe-bog-bodies-reveal-secrets-180962770/

            https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/lindow-man-0013470

 

Ireland Before St. Patrick

Image of an Ancient Crannog

As we approach yet another St. Patrick’s Day it is, perhaps, worth reflecting on what Ireland was like in pre-Christian times. We have to look to archaeologists and other scholars to provide us with an insight into the past. Yet, it is worth noting that, even today, we can still see glimpses of that pagan past all around us.

Ireland, in those days, was very different from Britain in many ways: it had its own language, political structures, customs and laws. It had not been invaded by Roman legions. It was also located at the furthest reaches of the known world.

Unlike Britain and Gaul, for example, the country did not have any major urban centres. Any political centres, such as they may have been, were likely to be associated with cult sites linked to kingship as in the case of Tara, Rathcroghan, Knockaulin and Armagh. As scholars often point out, the very word paganus ‘pagan’ actually means a rural dweller who lived in a pagus ‘rural environment’.

For Christian and non-Christians alike, death, burial, and the subsequent treatment of the dead, were purely matters for the family. The Christian clergy were not involved at all and pagans and Christians were buried alongside one and other in family graves.

Hill of Slane where St. Patrick
           Lit the Paschal Fire

The two prevalent burial types in Ireland from the late centuries BC and early centuries AD were cremations and inhumations, with the former more prevalent in the early period and inhumation becoming common into the first millennium AD.  Interestingly, cremation did not become obsolete, and instances of this practice have been dated to as late as the eight century.

Some non-Christian funerary customs continued to be practised, including burial in cemeteries not obviously associated with a church. Burned grain, antler tine and pig bones have been found in pre-Christian graves signifying some form of rite.

In 1959 the skeleton of a young woman, the skull of an infant approximately two years old, together with some animal bones (sheep/goat, dog and antler), were found in a bog in the townland of Derrymaquirk on the eastern side of Lough Gara, Co Roscommon. Archaeologists believe that the piece of antler may have been significant in terms of the religious beliefs of the time. This burial has been dated to between 750 - 200 BC.

Christian cemeteries or ‘holy ground’, in which most of the population were buried, developed from the late seventh century onwards. However, during the fifth and sixth centuries, burial practices for the nobility - clerics, kings and other aristocrats – began to change. This was due to what has been described as the cult of saints. Early Christians believed that by being buried near a holy grave they could hope to stand beside the saint on the day of the resurrection.

Decorated Grave Slab from Carrowntemple
Co. Sligo

We can also see the merging of pagan and Christian art as Christianity gradually replaced paganism. Two of the grave slabs at Carrowntemple, Co. Sligo, bear art of the Early Christian period that is derived from the Celtic art of the preceding Pagan Iron Age. One of these is very close to a design in the Book of Durrow and is datable to c. 650 AD. Several of the panels of the seventh century Moylough Belt-shrine, found only a few miles west of Carrowntemple, have this same mix of Pagan and Christian artwork.

Experts believe that many of the Irish Iron Age bog bodies are the remains of former kings who were sacrificed. The scarcity of such finds suggests that the sacrificial killings were only undertaken when a king’s reign had proven unsuccessful because of defeat in war, or due to famine or pestilence. The bodies were deposited in boundary bogs as offerings to the goddess who was associated with sovereignty, death and fertility.

Crucifixion Plaque
Clogher Holy Well

Early Irish texts suggest that holy wells may have remained associated with non-Christian rituals and were even protected by the old religion. For example, it is believed that wells were used instead of baptisteries in Ireland, which may explain the large number of holy wells throughout the country.

The Celts worshipped hundreds of gods and goddesses. In some respects, the nature of the Celtic religion helped in the development of Christianity. Their belief in the indestructibility of the souls of the dead helped in understanding the resurrection of Christ. The Celts also had their own sacrifices and ritual meals which, in a sense, mirrored aspects of Christian message.

Pagan Ireland was very different from Britain with its own language, political structures, customs and laws. The two prevalent burial types in Ireland from the late centuries BC and early centuries AD were cremations and inhumations with the former continuing late as the eight century. Christian cemeteries or ‘holy ground’ developed from the late seventh century onwards. Early Christian grave slabs show the merging of pagan and Christian art as Christianity gradually replaced paganism. Human sacrifice was practised in pagan times and Holy wells may have remained associated with non-Christian rituals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3vMGy2gQks

The Derrymaquirk Bog Bodies

In 1959 the skeleton of a young woman, the skull of an infant, approximately two years old together with some animal bones (sheep/goat, dog and antler), were found in a bog in the townland of Derrymaquirk on the eastern side of Lough Gara, Co Roscommon. A large stone had been placed on the stomach of the woman and a piece of wood lay under her head.  Archaeologists believe that the piece of antler may have been significant in terms of the religious beliefs of the time. This burial has been dated to between 750 - 200 BC. Unlike other bog bodies which appear to have been placed in bog pools, the Derrymaquirk remains were in a cut grave and archaeologists believe that this was a formal burial rather than the disposal of victims of sacrifice.

Other examples of human remains similar to those at Derrymaquirk have been found in bog areas in the west of Ireland. The bodies of a man and child were found in Sheegeragh townland, Co. Roscommon and a deer antler was found nearby. A human skeleton found in the bog at Kinnakinnelly townland, Co. Galway, was also found with deer bones and dated from the Iron Age. Another bog body from Gallagh, Co. Galway, was dated from the same period.

Archaeologists believe that the siting of the Derrymaquirk grave in boggy ground may have been coincidental.  The Derrymaquirk grave is a boundary burial of a type known as a ferta. Many such burials have been identified on sites that are not boggy in nature. By locating cemeteries on boundaries during the Iron Age and early medieval period, it was believed that the ancestors interred there would act as guardians and protect the people. Burials in such cemeteries regularly contain red deer bones and antlers placed there as votive offerings.

Hundreds of bog bodies have been discovered in the boglands of Europe over the last few centuries, of which about 130 have been found in Ireland. The cold, acidic and anaerobic conditions in peat bogs preserve the bodies. The skin and internal organs are frequently well preserved while the bones are often dissolved by the acid. Some of the human remains discovered show signs of torture and execution, with evidence of hanging, strangulation, stabbing and bludgeoning. The majority of Irish bog bodies date from the Iron Age

More recent discoveries of Irish bog bodies are Clonycavan Man, Oldcroghan Man and Cashel man. These have provided important new insights into the ancient practice of disposing of bodies in bogs and have received extensive coverage in the media.

Clonycavan Man was discovered in 2003 on the border between Co. Meath and Co. Westmeath and has been dated to 392 – 201 BC. He was between 25 – 40 years of age and had been ritually killed. The nipples of Clonycavan Man had been partly cut.

The body of Oldcroghan Man (362 – 175 BC) was also found in 2003 while digging a drain along a parish boundary that once formed the boundary of the ancient tuatha of Croghan, Co Offaly. As in the case Clonycavan Man, circular cuts were visible around the upper parts of both nipples but it is not certain whether these occurred before or after death.

In ancient Ireland, sucking a king’s nipples was a gesture of submission and a means of placing oneself under the protection of the king. Archaeologists believe that the cutting of the nipples of Oldcroghan Man was part of the ritual in which he was ‘decommissioned’ from the role of king.

Cashel Man was found in 2011 in Cashel, Co. Laois and dated to 2000 BC. It is believed to be the oldest fleshed bog body to have been found in Europe.

The boglands of Ireland have provided us with a unique insight into the lives and beliefs of our ancient ancestors.