Meeting the Bog Bodies

Page 3 of 10

• 1. Discovering the bog bodies
• 2. National Museum of Ireland
• 3. Examining the bodies
• 4. Dramatising the past
• 5. Filming the reconstruction
• 6. The bodies in context
• 7. Unlocking secrets of the Iron Age
• 8. Preserving Oldcroghan Man
• 9. Clonycavan Man
• 10. Find out more
• Print entire article

Examining the bodies

The museum has decided to carry out two weeks of initial, intensive testing. Because bog body finds are so rare, no-one at the museum has real, practical expertise with soft tissue human remains of this kind. It's a question of discovery for all of us.

Understandably the museum team are very conscious of being filmed and are concerned that any mistakes could be recorded. I have to constantly reassure them that we want the film to look good, but that we also want to be with them on this voyage of discovery.

'We have this extraordinary access where we are with scientists from all over Europe working on the bodies. We can't reconstruct things later.'

We have this extraordinary access where we are with scientists from all over Europe working on the bodies. We can't reconstruct things later.

It's a brief window of opportunity, because in a few months time the bodies will be freeze dried to preserve them from further decay. The tests go well and we return to London to pick up the story at a later date.

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Published: 2006-01-12