Leanne the Leanderthal Lady

On December 29, 1982, the remains of a young woman were found near Leander, Texas. She would be the most complete and one of the oldest remains found in North America. It was found that she had died over 10,000 years before and was given the name Leanne. She was a Paleo-Indian woman between 18 to 30 years old and only stood 5'3" tall. It's unknown how she died. She may have died in 9,000 B.C.

Around 10,000 to 13,000 years ago near a small stream, Leanne was laid to rest in a shallow grave. The person who dug her grave in an oval shape in hard compacted soil perhaps using a sharp stick. Leanne would be laid on her side in a fetal position with her knees drawn up, arms crossed, and the right hand beneath her head. Next to her side was a heavily worn sandstone tool, a hand stone or mano, that was used for grinding food and chopping. A fossiled shark tooth was found in the neck area and it's possible it was worn as a necklace. They would then place a limestone slab over the burial. They may have done it to secure a hide around the body or mark the grave.

SOURCES:
Texas Beyond History

Williams County Texas History

KVUE

The Kinakinelly Man

 In 1952 the body of a man, now known as Kinakinelly Man, was found in a bog in County Galway, Ireland. His remains were found with the bones of a red deer. He was dated to have lived and died between 200–100 BCE.

There is little information on this. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Irish Central

Girl of the Uchter Moor

 

In 2000 the body of a teenage girl was found in a bog by a peat cutter in Uchte, Germany. The person was using a backhoe at the time and dismembered the body. Leaving more than 100 body parts to recover. The girl was found to be from the iron age and was called Girl of the Uchter Moor or Moora. 

Her remains were dated to 650 B.C. and she was around 16 to 19-years-old. It's believed that she lived as a laborer and had chronic malnutrition throughout her life, underwent two partial skull fractures, and suffered from different diseases. Due to her malnutrition, she suffered from bone decay and lack of bone growth, and she had a benign tumor in her skull.

Her death is believed to have been accidental. There had not been any violent injuries to her body that would have caused death. It's theorized that she may have been picking bilberries (intoxicating berries) at the time she died. She may have slipped and fallen to her death . She may have also been nude at the time she was mummified. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mumipedia

Archeology

Ancient Origins

The Bleivik Man

In 1952 a bog body now known as the Bleivik Man (Bleivik funnet) was found in a bog in Rogaland, Norway about 6 km (3.7 Miles)north of Haugesund. It was discovered by a farmer in a drainage ditch that was around 70 cm (about 2.2 ft). His well-preserved skull, a thigh bone, and an upper arm bone, a later excavation brought out other bones like a rib, two vertebrae, and fragments of another thigh bone. 

It's believed that the man lived and died between 6110 and 5890 BC (mesolithic). It's believed to have been a man between 55 to 60-years-old. From his long bones, it was estimated that he was 160 cm (5'2") at most and had a strong physic as indicated by his muscular attachment marks on the bones.

 No cause of death could be found, but it's possible that he may have drowned in waters that may have been open at the time. The layer of Earth where he was found showed no disturbances suggesting he was not buried, but naturally was there, but gradually covered in sediment. 

There are songs inspired by the Bleivik Man. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

The Post Hole

Mummipeida Wiki

The People Pill

Unknown Artists: Antimenes Painter

Olive Gathering, amphora, ‚circa 520 BC.

The Antimenes Painter is an unknown Attic vase painter with the use of the black-figure style and 150 works have been attributed to them. He got his name from an archaeological convention, derived from the Kalos inscription on a hydria in the archaeological museum of Leyden. He's known to be active between circa 530 and 510 BC like in Etruria as most of his works were found there. He may have a connection with the workshop of Andokides.

He depicted the current repertoire of his periods such as the adventures of Herakles, Dionysos and his companions, and chariot scenes. His work and themes are described as organized and his distinctive motifs are idyllic. They often included subsidiaries in the main narrative.

His drawing style is similar to Psiax and influences of early red-figure style, but regardless he used the black figure technique.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia

Amcotts Moor Woman

In the summer of 1747, a peat digger found a body roughly under 6ft under peat moss near Amcotts, England. His shovel would hit a shoe and when they found it with a foot still inside they fled the scene. The following October S. George Stovin would set out with his team to excavate the remains.

The remains belonged to a woman who lived and died between 200 and 400 A.D. Her body was bent so that her feet and head were close to touching as if a strong current had placed her body there. She was mummified and her hands were described as well-preserved, but they were lost when they were sent for study. Both of her shoes were found, but the one hit with the shovel was damaged. The shoes were described as having a tawny color and being pliable. 

Her remains were buried at the Amcotts church-yard.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia

Mummipedia

Bright Edge Deep

The Aschbroeken Man

In 1931 the body of a man was found in a peat pit  in Drenthe near Weerdinge, Netherlands. The body was well preserved, unfortunately, his skull was lost soon after discovery.  The body was that of a man who lived and died during the bronze age between 1316-928 B.C. He would now be known as the Aschbroeken Man as his identity will never be known.

The man was between 35 and 45-year-old when he died. His bones showed that he had broken his right upper arm once, and the fracture healed wrong. This caused the arm to point slightly outwards. He had growth spurts from around 9 that were likely caused by being ill or malnutrition at the time. 

It's unknown why he ended up in the bog, but his arm may have been the reason. Evidence from other bog bodies in the Netherlands showed that many of them also had some sort of disability. This may have been the reason he ended up in the bog also. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Drents Museum

Röst Girl

In 1926 the remains of a toddler, now known as Röst Girl, were found in a bog in the Schleswig-Holstein state of Germany. Because her body was in the bog her body was mummified. She had a woolen cloak over her body. 

Her body is presumed to have been destroyed during WWII. The cloak was however not destroyed and was used for date testing. It's believed that she was alive between 200 B.C.E and 80 C.E. in what is now current Germany. 

SOURCES:

Mummipedia Wiki

Wikipedia

The Crystal Maiden

 

The Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre) is a sacred cave located near Sa Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize. This place is known as a Maya archeological site that incases skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware. It was a cave used by the Mayans for sacrificial reasons. The most known skeleton in the cave is known as The Crystal Maiden. It's possible that they were a sacrifice victim, and the conditions of the cave allowed the bones to calcify giving the body a sparkling and crystallized appearance. 

The Crystal Maiden was originally believed to be a woman around 18-20, but it's now believed that the body may belong to a teenage boy. It's believed that they died between 700 and 900. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia Wiki

Lovers Of Valdaro

 

In 2007 the skeletal remains now known as The Lovers of Valdaro or Valdaro Lovers were found at a Neolithic tomb in San Giorgio near Mantua, Italy. The two skeletons were buried face to face with their arms around each other much like a lovers embrace. Double burials like this would have been rare at the time. They did not die in this position and were placed in the grave this way 6,000 years ago.

The pair of skeletons were one female and one male neither above the age of 20. Their deaths are unknown but it isn't believed to be violent as the bones showed no signs of damage. The male skeleton was found with a flint arrow near the neck and the female had a long flint blade along the thigh, plus two knives under the pelvis. It's believed these weapons were grave goods.

A block of dirt with the couple was placed in a wooden box leaving the remains undisturbed. Right now the couple is permanently displayed inside a glass case in the National Archeological Museum of Mantua.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia

The Vintage News April 9, 2017

The Narrabeen Man

 In Jan. of 2005, the skeletal remains of a man were found by contractors digging for electricity cables near the corners of Octavia St. and Ocean St. in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. It was determined that the remains were around 4,000-years-old. The man would be named the Narrabeen Man.

He was a man between 30 to 40-years-old when he died. He was 183 cm (6ft) which was tall for an Aboriginal man at the time. He was likely not from a tribe in the Sydney area as he still had his two front teeth. 

He was found in a posture that was not like tribal ceremonial burial. He was found on his side with one arm across his head instead of lying on his front with his arms across the chest or by his sides. He also seemed to have been speared to death with several spears ends seemingly broken off in his vertebrae and near other body parts. It's possible he may have been killed in a ritual murder for a crime.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia

Northern Beaches

Academic

History of Sydney

The La Brea Woman

  

In Los Angeles, California there are tar pits called La Brea Tar Pits. Inside and near the pits remains of animals from the Ice Age have been discovered. Only one set of human remains were found in 1914. The body was that of a young woman between 18 and 25-years-old and she is believed to have been died 9,000 years before. It's possible that her death had been murder as she had a skull fracture from a blow to the head. But it's unknown how she died.

She was Native American and may have belonged to the Chumash people if she was local. It's also she may have been from elsewhere and traveled to the area though. She was 4'8" to 4'10". Wear on her teeth showed she was eating a diet of a stone-ground meal. 

Her remains and replica of her skull (pictured above) have not been on display in the museum since 2004.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Los Angeles Almanac

Los Angeles Times November 2, 1992

Los Angeles Times November 24, 2009

Mummy 1770

 

There was an Egyptian Mummylabled Mummy 1770 that was in storage for a long time at the Manchester Museum before an autopsy was decided on it in 1975. The team wanted to do an autopsy that allowed visual and anatomical techniques to provide a baseline for advanced imaging and analytical methods in the future. Mummy 1770 was chosen for this because she was badly preserved and was unlikely to be displayed. An x-ray of the mummy showed that she had some unusual features which not only would help their research, but help them understand the mummy inside the sarcophagus.  

The girl inside was around 13 or 14-years-old and wise likely from a wealthy family . She has a male guinea worm in her abdomen. She had both her legs removes. One was removed above the knee the other under the knee. This treatment was unsuccessful as it seemed she died weeks after the amputation.

Her legs were replaced with wooden planks and her feet were sandals filled with reeds and mud, and had reed tips for toes. She had two gilded nipple amulets as well as a false phallus included in the wrapping.  Her fingertips and reed tips had gold coverings.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Manchester 1824

Mummipedia

Bog Bodies: Weerding Men

 

In 1904 two bog bodies were found in Drenthe, Netherlands in the southern part of Bourtange Moor. The two were laid together in the bog initially making people think they were a couple and or related. This would lead to one of the bodies (the smaller one) being thought of being a woman. Leading for them to be called the Weerding Couple, or Mr. and Mrs. Veenstra. Later DNA tests showed that they were both males and were not Maternally related. 

The Weerding Men likely died between 160 BC and 220 AD. One of the men (the better preserved one) was found with a large wound in his chest with his intestines spilled out. It may have been ritualistic and may have been in an attempt to divine the future by reading entrails. It's unknown if this was the way he died or was killed. It's unknown how the other man died. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia

The Dröbnitz Girl

 

In 1939 the body of a girl was found in a bog in Dröbnitzer Moor, Dröbnitz (Drwęck) Poland. In an attempt to recover the mummy both of her legs were removed at the hips and were left in the bog. The mummy was well preserved and with x-rays, it was determined all internal organs were recognizable and extremities were well preserved.

The body would be dubbed The Dröbnitz Girl and was between 12 to 14-years-old when she died. She likely lived and died in the iron age during the Hallstatt period around 650 BCE. She was wrapped in a large sheepskin cloak with her arms crossed over her chest. A wooden comb and a crest were found with her body. It's believed that this was a ritual funeral instead of sacrificial.

The body was destroyed or lost during WWII so further research could not be done. There is some information though. Samples of the bog suggest when the body was placed in a shallow pond that silted up and became a peat pond. Her stomach contents had the presence of leaves, flowers, residues of peas, wheat, meat fibers, and animal fats. High amounts of pollen were also discovered leading them to believe she may have been buried in the spring. She had evidence of malnutrition, whipworm, roundworm, and their eggs in her stomach. Which at the time would not have been uncommon

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia

Vindolanda Roman Fort, Northumberland, England Georgie

 

In 2010 Vindolanda Roman Fort near Bardon Mill Northumberland, England was excavated. The body of a child was found buried under a shallow pit in a barrack room floor. It's believed that the child was killed around 200 and that their killer buried them quickly. It was illegal at the time to bury bodies in built-up areas and had to be buried or cremated in cemeteries in the outskirts of these areas. 

The child was around 10-years-old and their gender couldn't be determined, but they are called Georgie. It was believed to be a Roman child slave or a child of a Roman Soldier. The child was not from Britain and around two years before their death the child lived in either Northern Africa or Southern Europe. 

The child likely died from a hard blow to the head as that seemed to be the only damage to the body. From the position of the body, it's possible that the hands of the child were bound when they were buried. It's possible that soldiers had killed the child and buried them in a hurry as to cover up the crime. Seeing as the childs remains stayed in the floors of the barracks it's possible that their death was unknown. 

SOURCES:

Daily Mail September 16, 2010

BBC August 28, 2012

Huffington Post

Independent

Unsolved Murders UK

Wikipedia 

The Elling Woman

 

In 1938 a bog body of a woman was found in Silkeborg, Denmark. The bog helped somewhat preserve the body and some clothing by the bog. The woman would be termed the Elling Woman. She was around 25-years-old and her sex was hard to identify at first because the front of the body didn't mummify as well as the back. She had died around 350–150 BCE.

Her death was believed to have been unnatural. She was either, executed, sacrificed, or murdered. She was hanged with a leather thong. The thong left a V-shaped ligature in her neck. No other injuries or such were linked to her death. After this, she was placed into the peat bog. 

The woman had an elaborate braid. A sheepskin cape was wrapped over her upper legs, and her legs and feet covered by a different sheepskinn cape. She was also wearing a woven belt around her waist that had a sliding knot. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia

Archeology Magazine

 

The Bocksten Man

 

In the 1880s a farm called Bocksten in Varberg Municipality, Sweden was created near a bog. The bog had been regularly drained and a harrow was used to gather peat by the owner Albert Johansson. A leather shoe was found in the wetland and donated to the Varberg County Museum, and later a shoe sole was also found in the bog.

On June 22, 1936, Albert's son Thur found a body while gathering peat. His harrow got caught on sackcloth. When Thur examined what he was hitting he saw parts of a skeleton. The next day Albert and Thur went and notified the police and doctor. It was then realized that the body was not recent and too old to be of investigation.

Johan Albert Sandklef, the director of Varberg County Museum, took over the body. He would invite others to help investigate the bog body that would eventually be called the Bocksten Man. They would measure and photograph the area before excavating.

The upper parts of the man passed through the harrow and were badly damaged. The lower parts stayed intact though. Though the body had been damaged his body is considered one of the best-preserved finds in Europe in that Era.

 It's believed he had been hit at the lower jaw, then the right ear, and then the lethal hit was towards the back of his head. He was then pushed to where he was found and impaled with three wooden poles used for roofing to the bottom of the bog. 

Bocksten Man's inner organs, parts of the lungs, liver, brain, and cartilage were preserved. It's believed that he's between 25 and 40 (more likely 35 to 40), but could be up to 60-years-old. He was 170 to 180 cm (5'7" to 5'11") tall with a slender build. His tunic was well-preserved, one of the best-preserved from that time. It was made of woollen fabric. He was wearing a gugel hood that was  90cm long and 2cm wide liripipe. He was wearing a shirt and a cloak and his legs were covered by hosiery. He had a fabric bag, foot coverings, leather shoes, a belt, a leather sheath and two knives. The sheath was 40mm wide and 62mm long, it was composed of 3 layers with a combined saltire and St. George's Cross carved on the outer layer. The inner laver had a similar pattern was carved, but with a pole added

The time he died was based on his clothing it's believed that he may have died between 1290 to 1430. His stature and items/clothing found with him makes it believed he was an upper class or a merchant.  It's also suggested that he was a tax collector or soldier recruiter. 

According to Albert Sandklef a local farmer, Karl Andersson, had heard of legend from when he was a child. His father was told bt two older people that a soldier recruiter was killed by local peasants. His body was put in the bog, but his ghost would haunt the area. So in order to stop it, poles were stuck into the body. Albert Sandklef asked other locals of this, but no one claimed to have heard of the story.

It's believed he had been hit at the lower jaw, then the right ear, and then the lethal hit was towards the back of his head. He was then pushed to where he was found and impaled with three wooden poles used for roofing to the bottom of the bog.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia

Ancient Origins

Unknown Artists: Persephone Painter

There are was an Athenian red-figure vase painter working from 475 to 425 BCE their name is unknown, but they are known as Persephone Painter. His current title comes from the image of Persephone rising from the Underworld on a bell krater. There are several characteristics of style and the existence of a unique artistic personality. There are 26 vases that have been attributed to this artist.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

The Met Museum

British Museum

The Porsmose Man

In 1946 the body of Porsmose Man was discovered near Næstved, Denmark in a bog. Unlike other bog bodies, he was not mummified and was a skeleton. The man was 35-40-years-old and had died  around 2600 BCE. It was obvious he had a brutal end.

He had been murdered as an arrow had entered through his nose. This was not likely the arrow that killed him as another arrow was found in his chest. The killer was up at an angle above the man at close range. It could be possible that it was execution or ambush to kill the man.

It's unknown who the Porsmose Man is or why he was killed. This will remain a mystery lost to time. 

SOURCES:

Mummipeida

The Danish National Museum