10 Famous Preserved Corpses

Aside from giving scotch that distinct smoky flavour, peat has also been noted for its preserving qualities. 'Bog bodies', corpses found in peat bogs, range in preservation quality depending on where they were found. The Tollund Man for example must have been in a particularly strong bog.

The Tollund man was discovered in 1950 in the Danish Jutland Peninsula while villagers from the nearby village of Tollund were harvesting peat. The villagers initially thought the man was a victim of a recent murder. Only when an archaeologist was called in did they learn he had lived during the pre-Roman Iron Age.

Further tests on the Tollund man showed that he died sometime between 375-210 BC by way of hanging. His neck and tongue showed distinct signs of being hanged but the way his body was positioned in the bog (in a foetal position) has led experts to believe that he was a ritual sacrifice and not an executed criminal.

Scientist were unable to stop the Tollund Man from decomposing without actually re-burying him, so the torso now on display at the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark is actually a duplicate. The head, however, managed to be preserved and is the original.

It's astounding how detailed the face is, with the man's beard and wrinkles surviving over 2000 years and giving an insight into how little human appearance has actually changed.