| Bocksten Man Human Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Bocksten Man |
| Age | 30-40 |
| Sex | Male |
| Status | Prosperous |
| Height | 170-180 cm |
| Source | |
| Culture | Swedish |
| Date(s) | 1290-1430 CE |
| Site | Bog close to the borders of the Himle and Faurås Hundreds |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Swedish Museum of National Antiquities |
| Catalog # | |
Biography
The Bocksten Man was discovered in a peat bog on a farm named Bocksten, on the 22 June 1936. It was excavated on the 24 June.
Mummification
The Bocksten Man is thought to have been murdered and knocked into the lake bed that would become a bog. Parts of his lungs, liver, brain, and cartilage are preserved. His clothes are also extremely well preserved allowing researchers to distinguish symbols found on the fabrics he was wearing.
Studies
The date of the Bocksten Man's death has been studied over and over. Radiocarbon dating gives a 95 percent likelihood of a date between 1290 and 1430. Another hypothesis is that the Bocksten Man is actually Simon Gudmundi, a 15th century priest known to have died in 1491.
Pathology
Two ages have been attributed to the Bocksten Man. Gunnar Johanssen (a forensic odontologist) concluded that the man was between 25 and 35 years old based on his teeth. Nils-Gusta Gevall (an osteologist) deduced that the man is between 35 and 40 years based on his skeleton.
In January 2006 a professor and a doctor at Sahlgrenska University Hospital preformed an operation on a plastic model of the body. They concluded that he had first been hit at the lower jaw, then at the right ear and then a hit towards the back of his head that ended his life.
Additional Info
There is some dispute on what the man's social background was. The hood the body was found with was usually worn by more prosperous classes, and it was thought that he was a tax collector or a soldier recruit.
But that type of hood was also used within the church. Due to his hood and a symbol on a shield-shaped pendant it's also beloved that the man belonged to the Ordo Sanctus Spiritus.