For 2000 years the waterlogged peat bogs of Europe have preserved and concealed the remains of people who were placed in them during the Iron Age. Peat bogs are oxygen-free and sterile which means that soft tissue, hair, skin and even some clothing can survive being immersed in them for a long time. These bog bodies are intriguing. They often show signs of having been murdered, or deliberately killed. The most famous Iron Age bog body comes from Denmark and is known as Tollund Man. There are a number of examples from Britain, the best-preserved being a male of around 25 years old from Lindow Moss in Cheshire.

Why these bodies were placed in bogs is unclear. Were they murder victims, or were they human sacrifices? Lindow Man was killed in a number of stages. First he was hit on the head, which smashed his skull, and then he was strangled. After that he had his throat cut and was left to bleed. Finally, he was placed face down in the bog. Before he was killed his nails had been manicured and his moustache trimmed. The structured manner of his death and the preparation of his moustache and nails suggest this might have been a ritual killing.