- Egtved Girl
The Egtved Girl ("c". 1390–1370 BC) was a
Nordic Bronze Age girl whose well-preserved remains were found atEgtved (coord|55|37|N|9|18|E|),Denmark in 1921. Aged 16–18 at death, she was slim, 160 cm tall (about 5 ft 3 in), had long blonde hair and well-trimmed nails. Her burial has been dated bydendrochronology to 1370 BC. She was discovered in a barrow approximately 30 metres wide and 4 metres high.Burial
The barrow was
excavated in 1921, and an east-western aligned coffin was found. It was transported in sealed condition to theNational Museum of Denmark inCopenhagen , where it was opened and the Egtved Girl discovered.She was buried fully dressed on a cowhide in the coffin. She wore a loose
bodice with sleeves reaching the elbow. She had a bare waist and wore a short string skirt. She had bronze bracelets and a woolen belt with a large disc decorated with spirals and a spike. At her feet were the cremated remains of a child age 5–6. By her head, there was a smallbirch bark box which contained anawl , bronze pins and ahair net .Before the coffin was closed she was covered with a
blanket and a cowhide. Floweringyarrow (indicating a summer burial) and a bucket of beer made of wheat, honey,bog-myrtle and cowberries were placed atop. Her distinctive outfit, which caused a sensation when it was unearthed in the 1920s, is the best preserved example of a style now known to be common inNorthern Europe during theBronze Age . The good preservation of Egtved girl is due to the acidic bog conditions of the soil, which is a common condition of this locale.Reconstruction
The outfit was reconstructed for the
National Museum of Denmark by theLejre Experimental Centre and is on display there. A reconstructed set of clothes, as well as details of the excavation, are on display in the Egtved Girl's museum at the excavation site.ee also
*
Håga Kurgan
*Haraldskær Woman
*the King's Grave External links
* [http://www.natmus.dk/ National Museum of Denmark]
References
*Barber, E.W. "The Mummies of Ürümchi". Macmillan, London, 1999. ISBN 0-393-04521-8
* [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=17686 Hogan, C.Michael, "Egtved Girl Barrow", The Megalithic Portal, editor A. Burnham 4 October, 2007]
*Michaelsen, K.K. "Politikens bog om Danmarks Oldtid". Politiken, Denmark, 2002. ISBN 87-00-69328-6
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