Preservation of Human remains: causes and effects

Question 1

What are ancient human remains?

Answer 1

any human body preserved from ancient times

Question 2

why exist?

Answer 2

purposely preserved within their time period, eg pharaohs for afterlife
chance- happen to die in eviro which slowed process of decomposition, eg otzi (freeze dried)
placed in these conditions by person/ppl without knowing eg. bog, sand

Question 3

How are they preserved?

Answer 3

special weather and environmental conditions (undisturbed)

Bacteria needs moisture/specific temp/oxygen to survive

Question 4

What are the 4 conditions of preservations?

Answer 4

Bog
extreme dryness
freezing/extreme cold
volcanic ash

Question 5

How are people placed in bogs?

Answer 5

accidental death, burial, murder and ritual sacrifice , punishment/torture

Question 6

How are people placed in bogs?

Answer 6

accidental death, burial, murder and ritual sacrifice

Question 7

How do bogs work?

Answer 7

alot of moisture, but no oxygen from chemical process involved.
Airless enviro slows down decay.
has acidic water = microorganisms cant survive to break down bodies

Question 8

Where are bog bodies mostly found?

Answer 8

in europe and britain, Denmark e.g. Tollund man

Question 9

2 reasons why bodies can be preserved in peat bog?

Answer 9

• layer of peat underneath thin layer of water remains undisturbed from outside changes in enviro, The chemical content of bog vital for preservation.
• sphagnan found in bogs. A substance found in cell walls of moss that prevents destructive bacteria operating. Contributes to tanning of skin and to leather.

Question 10

what can bog bodies look like?

Answer 10

• skeletons without soft tissue

- no bone but have soft tissue (from the weight of bog) and tanned skin

Question 11

Extreme dryness? Where is mostly found?

Answer 11

no moisture to feed bacteria.
bodies are desiccated (dried out naturally)
seen in egypt and parts of chile

Question 12

How come dryness preserves bodies?

Answer 12

high temp-> moisture evaporate and bacteria cant survive

low humidity

Question 13

Freezing/extreme coldness?

Answer 13

slows down decay by freezing the material remains e.g. otzi (ice man)

Question 14

Volcanic ash?

Answer 14

ash, mud, gas settle to rock like substance preserving bodies

Question 15

MOst famous volcanic preservation?

Answer 15

Remain in Pompeii, 79AD volcanic eruption.

Turned into human fossils

Question 16

Depending on temp, what happens to bodies preserved by volcanic ash?

Answer 16

whole body/skeleton/shape preserved

Question 17

Where has these human remains been found?

Answer 17

many part of world

high concentration in northern europe in bog conditions.

Question 18

How are peat bogs formed?

Answer 18

1. water collects in hollow
2. plants grow on surface of water
3. peat begins to fill hollow (decomposed organic material from plants) while plants grow on top.
4. entire hollow fills with peat. surface very spongy

Question 19

Many bog bodies have been thought to be recent murders because?

Answer 19

they look very fresh and haven’t decayed

also some were found with ropes around their neck

Question 20

why do bog bodies have to be covered in peat when moved to museum?

Answer 20

to stop from decomposing

keep body moist and in contact with the chemicals that preserved it for thousand of yrs.

Question 21

What do scientists want to find out by looking at these bog bodies?

Answer 21

how they lived
how they died
why end in such a horrific way

Question 22

why do bog bodies have to be covered in peat when moved to museum?

Answer 22

to stop from decomposing

keep body moist and in contact with the chemicals that preserved it for thousand of yrs.

Question 23

What are some methods of investigating and analysing bodies?

Answer 23

DNA analysis/testing
Microscopic analysis of hair to find out what ate
Carbon 14
MRI and CT scanning- internal body
X-Rays
typology if had tools, eg metal bracelet
Pollen analysis in nose and lungs - food/season

Question 24

In which country have most of the bodies been found?

Answer 24

Denmark: Northern Europe

Question 25

When did these people live?

Answer 25

4th century BC- 2nd century AD

Question 26

Main causes of death in most cases?

Answer 26

strangulation, severe cuts/stabs/hits

Question 27

What do stomach content from bog bodies reveal?

Answer 27

season they died and status in society from what they ate before death.

Question 28

Features that most bog bodies have in common?

Answer 28

tragic/brutal death (overkill)
meals intact
found mainly in northern europe