OLD CROGHAN MAN'S HAND

 

 OLD CROGHAN MAN'S HAND 

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 The Old Croghan Man, is a well-preserved Irish Iron Age bog body found in June 2003.

The remains are named after Croghan Hill north of County Offaly near where the body was found.

 Based on the man's arm span, it's calculated that he stood between 5 ft 11.5" and 6 ft 6" tall, which is considered to be exceptionally tall for the period when he lived.

 The man's apparently manicured nails led to speculation that he was not someone who engaged in manual labour, so was possibly high status.

Chemical analysis performed on his nails found that he had consumed meat regularly for at least four months before his death.

In Iron Age Ireland, meat was a luxury enjoyed by the elites of society.

 Old Croghan Man was buried at a bog, at the foot of an ancient hill that was used for kingship ceremonies.

A 2014 documentary suggested that he was a king or prince, who was sacrificed by the druids, possibly due to poor weather or harvests.

These ancient tribes may have believed that this was caused by the failure of the king, therefore he was responsible.

 Old Croghan Man is believed to have died between 362 BC and 175 BC, making the body over 2,000 years old!

Evidence indicates that the man was in his early twenties when he was killed.
He was naked except for a plaited leather band around his left arm.

This is also another indicator of his high status.

The braided leather armband is thought to represent the sun, which is associated with kingship in Ireland.

 The man is believed to have died from a stab wound to the chest.
He was also struck in the neck, and decapitated.

His body was then cut in half.

He also has an injury to one arm, this could be possible evidence that he tried to defend himself.

 The body was found to have deep cuts under each nipple.

Several theories have been suggested to explain this, including that the damage was caused after death, by conditions in the bog.

It could also mean the cuts were indicative of torture while the man was alive, or that the nipples were deliberately mutilated for symbolic purposes.

 The latter theory, put forward by Eamonn Kelly of the National Museum of Ireland, suggests that the mutilation was a symbolic gesture to mark the man as a rejected ruler.

Old Croghan Man might have been a failed king, or a failed candidate for kingship, or even a political hostage that was sacrificed by another king.

Today, Old Croghan Man is displayed in the National Museum of Ireland, in Dublin.

The Tudor Intruders (and more)

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 Source - AncientOrigins/wiki
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 Old Croghan Man's hand in the National Museum of Ireland, in Dublin.