| Kayhausen Boy Human Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Kayhausen Boy |
| Age | 7-10 |
| Sex | m |
| Status | sacrifice |
| Height | |
| Source | |
| Culture | iron age |
| Date(s) | |
| Site | |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Germany |
| Catalog # | |
Kayhausen Boy was found in Lower Saxony, Germany, in 1922. The body was bound with garments; strips of woolen fabric had been used to tie his arms behind his back, and a length of textile had been wound around his neck, passed between his legs and back up to his neck where the two ends had been tied. His feet were held together by a cape.
Mummification[]
The body was naturally preserved in a sphagnum bog.
Studies[]
Examination concluded that he had been stabbed three times in the neck and once on his left arm. A recent examination of the body shows that the weapon used to kill the child was a dagger with a four centimeter blade. The boy is believed to have been approximately seven to ten years of age at the time of his death. The boy is estimated to have died between 300 and 400 BC.
An X-ray fluorescent spectroscopy of the body found that the stab wounds were primarily in the neck and that the boy’s arms and legs had been bound. Whether this was done pre- or post-mortem was not known.
Pathology[]
X-rays revealed that Kayhausen Boy suffered from an infected socket at the top of his femur, which would have made it difficult to walk without assistance. He also has Harris lines on his left tibia, suggesting growth disorders from malnutrition or disease.
A possible reason for the boy's death is that he had suffered from an infected socket, and hence would not have been able to walk without assistance. Because of the high incidence of deformities among bog bodies, such as the Yde Girl, anthropologists have suggested that the disabled were sacrificed because they were considered to be disfavored by their gods.
Additional[]
The remains of Kayhausen Boy were placed in a container of ethylene glycol and stored at the National Museum of Nature and Man in Germany
External Links[]
https://desispeaks.com/bog-bodies/
References[]
https://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/bog/violence2.html
https://prezi.com/zr5sk-p_yxui/kayhausen-boy/
http://nautil.us/issue/27/dark-matter/the-curious-case-of-the-bog-bodies