Old Croghan Man
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Old Croghan Man is the name given to a well-preserved Iron Age bog body found in an Irish bog in c.June 2003. He was named after Croghan Hill, County Offaly, near where he was found. He is on display in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.
He stood 6'6" (1.98m) tall (calculated from his arm span), unusually tall for that time (and now), and is the tallest bog body ever to have been found. He was found three months after another body found in County Meath, named Clonycavan Man, who was remarkable for his "gel" in his hair.
He is also presumed to have been a man of high status, displayed by his manicured nails, untroubled by manual labour.
Old Croghan Man's death
Old Croghan Man is believed to have been murdered by being stabbed in the chest, decapitated and his body cut in half. This is displayed by his lack of head, and body below the hips. He also has a scar on his arm - possible evidence that he tried to defend himself, and so was not oblivious to the attack. The man was tortured before his death, as two cuts where his nipples would have been show. He also had pleurisy, according to scars on his lungs.His last meal (analysed from the contents in his stomach) was believed to have been wheat and buttermilk. At the time of his death, he was naked except for a plaited leather band around his left arm.
He is believed to have died between 362 BC and 175 BC, making the body nearly 2,500 years old. The man is supposed to have been in his early twenties when he was killed.
There are many theories why he was killed. Ned Kelly, head of antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland, thinks Old Croghan Man (and other bog bodies) was killed to ensure good yields of corn and milk in the royal lands nearby.
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