LM's+Appearance

Lindow Man's Appearance
By examining Lindow Man’s hair, scientists were able to determine that Lindow Man had had a beard, and that it was cut finely. This was an oddity, as no other bog body found in England had possessed facial hair. The finely cut hairs on Lindow Man’s face led to further speculation between historians and archaeologists alike, as scissors were a luxury in England at the time. Thus, the scientists and historians deduced that Lindow Man must have been a privileged man, or a dignitary.

Following close examination of his hands, scientists discovered that Lindow Man’s fingernails were also kept short and neat. This supported the theory that Lindow Man had not been subjected to hard manual labour during the course of his life. However, a flaw in this theory was uncovered by Don Brothwell. Brothwell studied the bog body and explained that scientists and archaeologists alike were unsure of the appearance of the fingers of other bog bodies, as a comparison had never been made between the fingers of bog bodies and those of mummies. When discovered, Lindow Man was naked, save for a fox-fur armband and a rope, later presumed to be a noose, tied around his neck.

Had he been found with clothes, scientists and archaeologists alike would have been able to deduce Lindow Man’s position in society. Lindow Man’s body was crushed in the bog, and was deformed. Forensic anthropologists needed to determine Lindow Man’s height, and the method to do so involves examining the femur and tibia of the bog body. However, as Lindow Man’s legs had not been fully recovered from the bog, anthropologists had to resort to using a similar method to determine Lindow Man’s height by examining the humerus in his upper arm.

Thus, anthropologists determined that Lindow Man stood at five feet seven inches tall. From his appearance, scientists hypothesised that Lindow Man was fit and young when he died. To see if Lindow Man had suffered from any diseases or ailments, scientists examined Lindow Man’s interior cavity. As his stomach had not decayed, scientists used the contents found within the stomach to determine Lindow Man’s body build. Scientists found roughly twenty grams of partially digested food, as noted that a small portion of it was burnt. Scientists hypothesised that Lindow Man’s final meal was small, and may have consisted of burnt bread or gruel. Scientists also discovered pollen from mistletoe in Lindow Man’s stomach. This led to new evidence that suggested that Lindow Man died in March or April.

[[image:Lindow_Man_appearance.png]]
Across 2. Snip Snip 4. Fragmants of this element were found on him 5. Screwdrivers Use These 6. lxbx? 8. Items of Clothing

Down 1. From Ear to Ear 3. Weight of Bog Caused this 7. Locks

Lindow Man