Weerdinge Men

The Weerdinge men were two naked bog bodies found in Drenthe, Netherlands in the southern part of Bourtanger Moor in 1904. Radiocarbon dating shows that the two likely died between 160 B.C. and A.D. 220.

Pathology

The more complete Weerdinge man had a large wound on his chest, through which his intestines spilled out. Some observers believe that this points to a ritualistic purpose for the killing. Strabo, a Roman historian, recounts tales of Iron Age Europeans attempting to divine the future by "reading entrails." [ [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bog/iron-nf.html NOVA | The Perfect Corpse | Bog Bodies of the Iron Age (non-Flash) | PBS ] ] The cause of death of the other Weerdinge Man is unknown.

Relationship

One of the bodies was found lying on the outstretched arm of the other, a male, which originally led observers to conclude that this headless body was a female. In fact, the bodies were called "The Weerdinge Couple" until scientific testing confirmed that both bodies were male. [ [http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/bog/violence1.html Bodies of the Bogs: Violence in the Bogs ] ] While some believe that their positioning indicates that they were homosexual, others claim that they were family members, such as brothers or father and son.

References