Bog People [Paperback]

P V Glob (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1977

From time to time workers in bogs throughout Europe accidentally expose the sunken bodies of people who died 2000 or more years ago. The bo g waters have kept the bodies from decay, sometimes even preserving the facial expression at the moment of death, and many of the bodies bear signs of violent ends. This book seeks to cast light on these Iron Age people, their lives, their religion, and the rituals they performed in unfrequented wood and groves.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Danish (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

P.V. GLOB (1911–1985) was the Director General of Museums and Antiquities for the State of Denmark and Director of the National Museum in Copenhagen. Although his professional interest took him from Greenland to the Arabian Gulf, his most sustained study was of his native country. In addition to The Bog People, Glob published numerous anthropological works including Denmark: An Archaeological History from the Stone Age to the Vikings and Mound People: Danish Bronze-Age Man Preserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Faber Faber Inc (December 31, 1977)
• ISBN-10: 0571110797
• ISBN-13: 978-0571110797
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,992,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glimpse into Iron Age life and ritual, March 28, 2000

By 

David C. Berg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bog People: Iron-Age Man Preserved (Paperback)

P. V. Glob's BOG PEOPLE is a concise and illuminating study of several exquisitly preserved bodies of Iron Age inhabitant discovered northern Denmark by peat diggers in the early 1950s.

Glob, who was on the scene soon after the bodies were discovered, describes the remarkable condition of the bodies, then proceeds to explore the circumstances of their deaths. Glob's exposition gives us a look into the practice of ritual sacrifice in Iron Age northern Europe. Enhancing his discussion with studies of their last meals, the manner of death, the clothes and jewelry they wore as well as other bog artifacts, Glob introduces us to a brutal world where ritual sacrifice played a critical role in the spiritual life of Iron Age residents of modern day Denmark.

The photographs and x-rays of the bodies are stunning. In particular, the haunting photos of the serene, delicately preserved Tolland man cast this study in an earthy yet unearthly light.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "The dead and the sleeping, how they resemble one another", May 12, 2005

By 

Hallstatt Prince (MA. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bog People: Iron Age Man Preserved (New York Review Books Classics) (Paperback)

A beautiful slim volume which should be on everyone's bookshelf. It is a disturbing and yet strangely moving book. However the text is woefully out of date and has a lot of misinformation on the Celts and their relationship with the trading systems of the North. It also lacks the modern theories of how and why these individuals were sacrificed. I highly recommend this book just as long as you don't use it as your only source of information on the Celts.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A reminder of life in the past., September 21, 2006

By 

J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bog People: Iron Age Man Preserved (New York Review Books Classics) (Paperback)

This is a rather unusual book and well worth reading. Most of the time we read about remains being found in caves,tombs or graves under stone monuments,etc. In this case, there is a real departure in that they are found in wet bogs.
Although, at the time these bodies were placed in the bogs,it was probably not known that the acidic properties wound result in their unbelievable preservation.
These bodies were most likely "buried" in the period of 200 B.C until
200 A.D. This period was during the early Bronze Age and in the northern
and western part of Europe. Civilization was not near as well developed here as in southern Europe when Rome was at its height of development.
The author describes a few of the remains and tries to show who these people were and why they were interred in bogs.This occurred over a wide area and at many locations.
There seems to be two main reasons why remains were placed in these bogs.
Some were obviously murdered,sacrificed,hung or otherwise executed because of crimes,need of a victim for sacrifice, or because they were thought to be possessed,or otherwise evil. Many were staked to the ground to prevent them or their spirits from returning. Others were placed there because of their high ranking in the society.This was determined because those remains showed no evidence of wounds,mutilation or ropes around their necks or limbs.They were also accompanied with artifacts and or treasures.
This book would probably not be considered a great or highly learned Archaeological effort. Be that as it may,it is a very interesting read and an insight into life at the time through a very different window.
The author has included a large number of excellent photos;though it's a shame they are not in color.
It is also of note, that it was first published in 1969 and is still in print.