Bog Bodies - by Melanie Giles (Paperback)

About the Book

Reinterpreting the latest research and discoveries, and featuring a ground-breaking study of Worsley Man, this book brings the bogs to life through both natural history and folklore, revealing them as places that were rich and fertile yet dangerous. It also reflects on the debate over whether bog bodies should be displayed at all.

Book Synopsis

The 'bog bodies' of north-western Europe have captured the imaginations of poets and archaeologists alike, allowing us to come face-to-face with individuals from the past. Their exceptional preservation permits us to examine minute details of their lives and deaths, making us reflect poignantly on our own mortality. But, as this book argues, the bodies must be resituated within a turbulent world of endemic violence and change. Reinterpreting the latest continental research and new discoveries, and featuring a ground-breaking 'cold case' forensic study of Worsley Man, Manchester Museum's 'bog head', it brings the bogs to life through both natural history and folklore, revealing them as places that were rich and fertile yet dangerous. The book also argues that these remains do not just pose practical conservation problems but also philosophical dilemmas, compounded by the critical debate on if - and how - they should be displayed.

An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

From the Back Cover

The 'bog bodies' of north-western Europe have captured the imaginations of poets and archaeologists alike, allowing us to come face to face with individuals from the past. Their exceptional preservation makes it possible to examine minute details of their lives and deaths, making us reflect poignantly on our own mortality.

In this book, Melanie Giles advances discussion of these bodies by arguing that they must be situated within a turbulent world of endemic violence and change. Reinterpreting the latest continental research and new discoveries, she brings the bogs to life through both natural history and folklore, revealing them as places that were rich and fertile yet dangerous. At the heart of the book is a ground-breaking 'cold case' forensic study of Worsley Man, Manchester Museum's 'bog head', which dates from the early Roman period of military occupation in the north. A victim of dramatic facial injury, garrotting and decapitation, Worsley Man provides the basis for a rich regional portrait that reinvigorates and changes the nature of bog body studies at an international level.

Giles also argues that these remains do not pose just practical conservation problems but also philosophical dilemmas, compounded by the critical debate on if - and how - they should be displayed. She thus presents for the first time the complete cycle of archaeological engagement: from discovery to conservation and analysis, interpretation, display and the cultural and creative legacy of the ancient dead.

Review Quotes

'[...] this book is so much more than just an archaeological text setting out what we know about these fascinating remains. Giles takes us on a journey that is poignant, moving and often deeply personal. I have so much empathy in how Giles relates her work to her own sense of bereavement, having lost my own mother recently, that I am left saying, "Hell yes - this is archaeology". Archaeology of the very best kind - the kind that helps you explore what it is to be human.'
British Archaeology, Neil Redfern

'Bog Bodies is an exhaustive study of human remains extracted from bogs in northern Europe where conditions amenable to preservation have resulted in the recovery of largely complete bodies. Giles (Univ. of Manchester, UK) explores the natural context of the bogs and how they interacted with the "bog bodies" found within them, delving deeply into the bodies' recovery. She deals with how historians and the public have viewed the bodies, pointing out that shaky assumptions have often driven interpretation. Treatment of the subject raises questions relating to death, from well-known examples to the more general occurrence of the dead, both in past and present cultural contexts and in relation to the bogs' natural environment. Giles's survey of finds, as well as public presentations in museums and written reconstructions, suggests to her that the dead offer a way for everyone to richly connect with and understand the lives of the past. Well-illustrated, with a current bibliography, this book is an obvious acquisition for colleges and universities with appropriate departments. The author's sensitive treatment will also interest a wider audience.
--R. B. Clay, emeritus, University of Kentucky
Summing Up: Recommended. General readers through graduate students.
Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.

About the Author

Melanie Giles is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Manchester