Tollund Man

Tollund Man is displayed at the Silkeborg Museum in Silkeborg, Denmark, where visitors can see his remarkably preserved head and face. The rest of his body was not as well preserved after excavation, so the display combines his actual head with a reconstructed body.

The acidic, oxygen-poor environment of the Danish peat bog naturally mummified his soft tissues, preserving his facial features, hair, and even his last meal. However, the bog acid gradually dissolved his bones over the centuries, leaving the body in a distinctive flattened state.

A leather noose was still around his neck when he was discovered in 1950, and his body was carefully arranged with closed eyes and a seemingly peaceful expression. His last meal consisted of a porridge made from barley, flax, and various wild seeds, which some archaeologists interpret as a ritual meal before sacrifice.

Radiocarbon dating places his death to around 405-380 BC, during the Danish Iron Age. He was found in the Bjældskovdal peat bog near Silkeborg in May 1950 by peat cutters who initially thought they had discovered a recent murder victim.