Original subtitles

[ MAN GASPS, SCREAMS ]

Romany: THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF BODIES

FOUND ACROSS ALL OF NORTHERN EUROPE...

IS THAT A JAW?...BOUND AND BATTERED...

THIS IS A CRIME SCENE, ISN'T IT?

Aldhouse-Green: THE PEOPLE WHO PERPETRATED THIS HORROR

KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

CAN THESE MURDER VICTIMS,

MUMMIFIED IN MARSHES CENTURIES AGO...

WHO WAS THE KILLER?

...TELL US THE SECRETS BEHIND THESE MUTILATED MUMMIES.

THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO LOOK AT.

I'M ARCHAEOLOGIST AND MUMMY EXPERT RAMY ROMANY.

ACROSS THE GLOBE, EARTH IS GIVING UP HER DEAD.

OH, MY GOD, PEDRO, LOOK AT THIS.

THANKS TO CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY,

NEW MUMMIES ARE UNEARTHED EVERY DAY.

IT'S LIKE AN UNDERWATER CRIME SCENE.

THESE MUMMIES HOLD EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS...

OH, MY GOD, WHAT IS THIS?

PRICELESS.

...IF YOU KNOW HOW TO UNWRAP IT.

THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

THIS IS...

--Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THEY'VE BEEN BEATEN,

STRANGLED,

DROWNED, AND STABBED.

THEY'RE CALLED "BOG BODIES,"

AND BY ALL INDICATIONS,

THEY ARE MURDER VICTIMS FROM CENTURIES AGO.

THERE COULD BE HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS MORE

OF THESE NATURALLY-PRESERVED MUMMIES,

BURIED IN BOGS --

THESE MARSHY WETLANDS

THAT ARE SPREAD ALL ACROSS NORTHERN EUROPE.

WHY WERE THEY SO BRUTALLY KILLED?

AND BY WHOM?

AND WHY WERE THEY BURIED IN BOGS?

TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO SOLVE THE CASE.

LAND DEVELOPMENTS ARE THREATENING TO DESTROY

THE LAST REMAINING BOGS AND THE SECRETS THAT THEY HOLD.

SO I'VE COME TO LONDON TO INVESTIGATE

AND SEE IF I CAN SOLVE THIS DEADLY MUMMY MYSTERY.

♪♪

HERE WE ARE.

LONDON.

I'M BEGINNING MY INVESTIGATION WITH THE MOST WELL-PRESERVED,

WELL-STUDIED BOG BODY IN THE U.K.

HERE IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

♪♪

MELANIE. HELLO.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SEEING ME HERE.

I'M MEETING WITH DR. MELANIE GILES,

A MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

WITH A PhD IN IRON AGE LANDSCAPE

AND ONE OF THE LEADING RESEARCHERS ON BOG BODIES.

Romany: WOW. LOOK AT THIS.

I TELL YOU, MELANIE, I HAVE SEEN

TOO MANY MUMMIES IN MY LIFE... -[ LAUGHS ]

...AND I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

LOOK AT HIS FACE.

Giles: HE'S A LITTLE BIT EERIE.

HE'S VERY SQUASHED BECAUSE THE PEAT

HAS COMPRESSED HIM IN THE BOG.

BUT THERE'S ENOUGH TO REALLY CONNECT YOU WITH THAT HUMANITY.

I'M LOOKING AT THIS SOFT TISSUE, AND IT'S FASCINATING.

YOU CAN SEE HIS HAIR. YOU CAN SEE --

HIS LIPS ARE SO REAL.THAT'S RIGHT.

IT POSES A REAL PROBLEM FOR US AS ARCHAEOLOGISTS

BECAUSE THEY ARE SO WELL-PRESERVED.

WHEN MANY BOG BODIES ARE FOUND,

WE INITIALLY WORRY THAT THIS IS A MURDER CASE.

AND IN FACT, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BODIES

THAT COME FROM LINDOW MOSS,

AND WHEN THE FIRST ONE WAS FOUND,

IT WAS A LIVE MURDER CASE.

AND THE POLICE WERE CONVINCED

THEY HAD FOUND THE REMAINS OF A WOMAN

WHO'D GONE MISSING... NO.

...FROM A HOUSE THAT BACKED ONTO LINDOW MOSS.

THEY BROUGHT HER HUSBAND IN,

WHO HAD LONG BEEN SUSPECTED OF THE CRIME,

AND HE CONFESSED TO HER MURDER.

IT WAS ONLY LATER THEY GOT THE RADIOCARBON DATE BACK,

AND THEY FOUND HE HAD CONFESSED TO A MURDER

THAT HE COULDN'T POSSIBLY HAVE COMMITTED,

BECAUSE THE REMAINS WERE ANCIENT,

RATHER THAN THOSE UNFORTUNATE REMAINS

OF THE WOMAN WHO IS STILL MISSING --

WHO IS STILL SOMEWHERE OUT THERE IN THE BOG.

Romany: WOW.

THE SOFT TISSUE IS SO WELL-PRESERVED.

HAS RADIOCARBON DATING HAPPENED ALREADY?

YES. SO, THERE WAS SOME RADIOCARBON DATES DONE

BACK IN THE 1980s

WHICH, VERY INTERESTINGLY,

PLACE HIM RIGHT AT THE CUSP OF THE TRANSITION

BETWEEN THE IRON AGE AND THE ROMAN WORLD.

AT THIS POINT IN HISTORY, THE REGION WAS IN TURMOIL.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE HAD PUSHED THE CELTS,

A LOOSE GROUP OF WAR-LIKE TRIBES

WITH A COMMON LANGUAGE AND IRON WEAPONS,

FROM MAINLAND EUROPE INTO THE BRITISH ISLES.

THESE TWO FIERCE CULTURES

CLASHED WITH SPECTACULAR BRUTALITY.

THE ROMANS WERE ASCENDING TO THE HEIGHT OF THEIR POWER,

AND THE CELTS WERE FIGHTING TO AVOID BEING ANNIHILATED.

Romany: THIS ONE DIED ABOUT 2,000 YEARS AGO.

THAT'S RIGHT. YES.

AND DO WE KNOW THE REASONS OF DEATH?

HE WAS HIT ON THE TOP OF THE HEAD.

WITH A VERY HEAVY, SHARP INSTRUMENT,

SO EITHER A VERY HEAVY SWORD

OR, MORE LIKELY, A HEAVY AX.

[ MAN SCREAMS ]

IS THAT WHAT I'M SEEING RIGHT HERE?

Giles: THAT'S RIGHT. THERE'S A SHARP,

FORCED-TRAUMA CUT ON THE TOP OF THE HEAD.

IT CAUSES A FRACTURE RIGHT THROUGH THE SKULL,

AND THAT WOULD'VE CAUSED INTERNAL BLEEDING

AND HEMORRHAGING.

AND THAT INJURY, IN AND OF ITSELF,

WAS PROBABLY GOING TO CAUSE HIS DEATH.

YES. BUT THAT WASN'T ENOUGH.

HE HAS AN INJURY TO HIS RIBS.

HE HAS A FRACTURE OF THE NECK,

WHICH IS PROBABLY CAUSED BY A LIGATURE --

WRAPPED TIGHTLY AROUND THE NECK AND BITES THE FLESH.

AND THEN, HE WAS ALSO STABBED IN THE NECK,

WHICH CAUSES LOTS OF BLOOD OBVIOUSLY TO START FLOWING.

THE IRON AGE WAS VIOLENT, BUT THIS...

IT WAS VIOLENT. IT WAS VIOLENT.

...IS EXCESSIVE.

IT'S WHAT PEOPLE OFTEN CALL OVERKILL.

HE'S NOT JUST DIED ONCE. HE'S DIED THREE, FOUR TIMES.

THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING.

AND WHAT ELSE HAS THE TESTING FOUND?

SO, WHEN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENTISTS

HERE AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM INVESTIGATED HIS GUTS,

THEY FOUND INTERESTING DETAILS ABOUT HIS LAST MEAL,

WHICH WAS PROBABLY SOMETHING LIKE A GRIDDLE CAKE

OR A BANNOCK, BUT ALSO WITHIN THE STOMACH CONTENTS,

THEY FOUND FOUR GRAINS OF MISTLETOE POLLEN.

MISTLETOE? MISTLETOE.

AND THAT IS NOT MUCH, BUT IT'S ODD.

IS MISTLETOE ALSO POISONOUS?

IT IS POISONOUS, AND IT CAN ALSO BE

QUITE A POWERFUL HALLUCINOGEN.

SO THERE ARE IDEAS THAT HE HAS BEEN DRUGGED

BEFORE HE'S MET HIS DOOM.

THEY DRUGGED HIM BEFORE THEY VIOLENTLY KILLED HIM?

I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT WAS GOING ON,

BUT IT IS VERY CURIOUS.

WHAT HAS HE DONE? WHY WOULD THEY CHOOSE HIM?

HOW DID THEY CHOOSE HIM?

THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS STILL A GREAT MYSTERY.

WE DON'T KNOW WHY HE DIED, OR WHO HE WAS --

AND WHY HE HAS TO DIE SO VIOLENTLY,

AND WHY HE'S PLACED IN LINDOW MOSS.

♪♪

I'M HEADED TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME.

THE PLACE WHERE THE BODY OF LINDOW MAN WAS DISCOVERED.

I WANT TO SEE WHAT THIS LOCATION CAN TELL ME.

I'M MEETING WITH DR. HENRY CHAPMAN,

AN ARCHAEOLOGIST WHO'S BEEN USING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

TO SHOW WHAT THE BOG LOOKED LIKE 2,000 YEARS AGO.

♪♪

WHOA!

THIS IS IT, HUH?

Chapman: THIS IS IT. IT'S LINDOW MOSS.

I GOT TO SAY, HENRY -- THIS IS NOT HOW I IMAGINED

THE BOG WOULD LOOK LIKE.

NO, WELL, THIS IS A VERY PARTICULAR STAGE IN ITS LIFE.

I MEAN, THIS IS WHERE IT'S BEEN AN INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE

THAT'S BEEN CUT FOR PEAT.

IT'S NOT THE SAME ENVIRONMENT THAT IT WAS IN THE IRON AGE.

YEAH.

BOGS ARE LAND DEPRESSIONS THAT COLLECT RAINWATER

BECAUSE OF POOR DRAINAGE.

THERE'S A LAYER OF NON-POROUS CLAY UNDERNEATH

THAT CAUSES THE WATER TO POOL.

THIS POOR DRAINAGE INCREASES THE ACIDITY LEVEL OF THE WATER,

WHICH SLOWS DOWN THE DECOMPOSITION

OF ORGANIC MATERIAL THAT FALLS INTO THE BOG.

OVER TIME, THAT ORGANIC MATERIAL

BUILDS UP INTO A SPONGY LAYER CALLED PEAT.

WHAT IS THE SCIENCE BEHIND THIS PLACE?

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO WHAT WE'RE STANDING ON,

ACTUALLY -- IT COMES DOWN TO THE PEAT.

SO, YOU KNOW, THIS MATERIAL.

THE REASON THIS IS BEING PRESERVED

IS BECAUSE THE WATER TABLE IS SO HIGH.

BASICALLY, THE TWO INGREDIENTS WHICH MAKE THINGS ROT.

THEY CAN'T WORK. WHICH IS --

SO BACTERIA AND FUNGI CAN'T LIVE.

YEAH. SO THIS RIGHT HERE,

THE PEAT, IS WHAT KEPT LINDOW MAN

ALIVE FOR US ALL THIS TIME.YEAH.

THAT BROWN WATER COMING FROM IT.

THAT'S WHAT'S PRESERVING IT.

BY STUDYING CORE SAMPLES OF PRESERVED PEAT

FROM ALL OVER THE BOG,

HENRY HOPES TO RECREATE WHAT THIS LINDOW MOSS

LOOKED LIKE 2,000 YEARS AGO.

ALSO, IT IS VERY COLD.

LIKE, IT FEELS LIKE ICE IN MY HAND.

YEAH. IT WORKS VERY WELL AS A FRIDGE.

DO YOU STILL USE THIS AS A FRIDGE TODAY IN ENGLAND?

'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE WEIRD HERE.

[ LAUGHS ]

IT'S A GOOD IDEA, THOUGH. COULD CATCH ON.

YOU CAN PUT YOUR GUINNESS IN THERE.

EXTRA BOGGY.

LET'S GO GET SOME CORE SAMPLES.

♪♪

HENRY'S NOW TAKING ME TO THE PRECISE SPOT

WHERE LINDOW MAN WAS DISCOVERED

TO TAKE A CORE SAMPLE FOR HIS STUDY.

♪♪

Chapman: HELLO.Smith: HELLO THERE.

OH, WOW. LOOK AT THIS.

THAT'S HOW DEEP THIS PLACE IS, HUH?

THIS IS JUST THE TOP OF IT.

IT SHOULD GO DOWN TWO, THREE METERS MAYBE.

THE FIRST METER IS -- HOW MUCH TIME IS THAT?

YOU'RE POTENTIALLY GOING BACK 1,000 YEARS.

AND WHEN IT COMES OUT,

YOU SEE THAT ONE METER OF HISTORY BASICALLY.

YOU RECORD THE GPS COORDINATES,

AND WHEN YOU PUT IT ALL IN THE MAP,

YOU JUST GET TO FLY BACK IN TIME

AND SEE THAT BOG 2,000 YEARS AGO.

YEAH. YEAH.

THAT'S WHAT WE USE AS THE INPUT TO CREATE OUR 3-D MODEL.

ONE METER AT A TIME?ONE METER AT A TIME.

WELL, LET'S GET THE SECOND METER DONE.

LITERALLY, YOU JUST PUSH IT DOWN.

YOU JUST PUSH IT DOWN.PUSH IT DOWN.

OKAY, YEAH, I'LL PUSH IT DOWN.

NO PROBLEM. I GOT THIS, HENRY.

I GOT THIS. I GOT THIS.

NOW HELP ME.

[ LAUGHTER ]

OKAY.

ALL THE WAY TO THE RED.

THAT'S IT.[ GRUNTS ]

HERE WE GO.

AND NOW WE BRING IT BACK OUT.

YEP. YEP.

♪♪

WOW. LOOK AT THIS.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU SEEING IN THE CORE RIGHT NOW

THAT IS TELLING YOU ABOUT THE PLACEMENT OF LINDOW MAN?

WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE IS, AS YOU GO DOWN,

INDICATIVE OF REALLY, REALLY WET ENVIRONMENTS.

BECAUSE PEAT FORMS AT A RATE OF ABOUT ONE MILLIMETER PER YEAR,

IT'S A NATURAL TIME CAPSULE

THAT TRAPS MINERALS AND LIVING ORGANISMS.

BY SAMPLING THE VEGETATION IN EACH LAYER OF PEAT,

HENRY CAN TELL HOW MUCH WATER WAS THERE

AND WHAT THE LANDSCAPE OF THE BOG LOOKED LIKE.

SOME VEGETATION REQUIRES MORE WATER,

SO HE CAN TELL WHERE THERE WAS HIGH FOREST,

WHAT AREAS HAD LOW BRUSH,

AND WHERE IT WAS JUST WATER.

♪♪

NOW THAT'S COOL.

YEAH. I LIKE A BIT OF TECH.

WHAT IS THAT? IT'S GPS.

IT'S THE SAME AS YOU GET ON YOUR PHONE OR IN A CAR,

BUT WHEN I POSITION THE POINT ON THE BOREHOLE,

I CAN THEN RECORD A MEASUREMENT, AND THEN IT JUST UPLOADS

THAT THREE-DIMENSIONAL POSITION INTO THE COMPUTER.

I SEE. IT'S A MIXTURE

OF THE VERY LOW-TECH AND THE VERY HIGH-TECH.

AND THAT'S IT.

PERFECT. IT'S DONE.

SO WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION HERE, RIGHT NOW?

YEAH. SO, YOU'VE GOT EVERYTHING STORED.

WE FINISHED THE FIELD WORK,

SO WHAT WE NOW HAVE TO DO IS GET BACK TO THE LAB,

THEN WE CAN INPUT ALL OF THAT DATA

AND ALL THE MEASUREMENTS AND SEE HOW IT ADDS TO THE MODEL.

WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT LINDOW MAN SAW

JUST MINUTES BEFORE HIS MURDER.

LET'S GO.

OKAY. SO, WE HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION HERE, RIGHT NOW.

YEAH. SO WHAT WE NOW HAVE TO DO IS

GET BACK TO THE LAB.

Romany: WELL-PRESERVED MUMMIES,

ALL SHOWING EVIDENCE OF BEING BRUTALLY MURDERED,

ARE TURNING UP IN BOGS ACROSS NORTHERN EUROPE.

WITH THE HELP OF ARCHAEOLOGIST HENRY CHAPMAN,

I'M INVESTIGATING THE CRIME SCENE,

THE PLACE WHERE LINDOW MAN, A BRITISH BOG BODY, WAS FOUND.

Romany: SO, ONCE WE PUT THESE IN, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE

THE BOG THE WAY IT LOOKED 2,000 YEARS AGO.

YEAH, YEAH.ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.

♪♪

SO, EVERY ONE OF THESE RED DOTS IS A CORE SAMPLE?

YES. ABSOLUTELY.

AND NOW WE'VE INSERTED THE DATA FOR TODAY'S.

SO, WE WERE WORKING ABOUT THIS AREA, RIGHT?

YEP, YEP. JUST AROUND THERE.

AND THAT'S THAT RAISED AREA, SO THERE'S MORE PEAT,

WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL...

...TO WHAT WE CAN DO.

I WANT TO FIND THE REASON BEHIND THE KILLING.

YEAH. AND I THINK YOUR WORK

CAN GET US CLOSER TO KNOWING, RIGHT?

YES. DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE MODEL?

PLEASE. LET'S DO IT.

RIGHT. IF I TAKE OFF...

THAT'S THE SURFACE OF THE BOG, YEAH.

BY THEN, IT'S DEEP PEATS. YOU CAN JUST SEE THE DEPTH.

AND HOW MUCH DISTANCE IS IT?

LIKE, IS THAT FIVE METERS?

SIX, SEVEN METERS.SEVEN METERS?

THAT'S OVER 20-FEET DEEP.

YOU CAN SEE THE DRY EDGES.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DRY 2,000 YEARS AGO.

THESE ARE THE ISLANDS. YEAH.

THERE'S A VAST EXPANSE OF BOG.

WHERE WAS LINDOW MAN FOUND EXACTLY IN HERE?

THAT LITTLE GRAY BIT THERE.

THAT'S LINDOW MAN.

RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE BOG.

YEAH.

I MEAN, WHICHEVER WAY YOU LOOK AT IT,

IT'S OVER THE DEEPEST PEAT.

WHAT THIS IS SHOWING US IS THAT LINDOW MAN

WAS PLACED RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE BOG.

-IT LOOKS LIKE IT, DOESN'T IT? -YEAH.

THE CENTER OF THE BOG IS THE HARDEST PLACE TO GET TO...

-MM-HMM. -...SO IT CAN'T BE ON ACCIDENT.

NO. AND DO YOU THINK

THEY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE CENTER OF THE BOG

TO HIDE THE BODIES SO NO ONE COULD SEE IT?

I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT A BETTER CHANCE OF HIDING HIM

ON THE DRY EDGES, WHICH WOULD HAVE HAD TREES ON THEM.

AND OUT IN THE BOG, HE'S VERY VISIBLE.

THEY'VE FOUND THE HARDEST SPOT TO GET TO,

TO PUT THE BODY AND NOT TO HIDE IT.

YEAH. THIS SHOWS INTENT.

ABSOLUTELY.

♪♪

THIS INFORMATION LEADS ME TO BELIEVE

THAT THOSE VICTIMS WERE TAKEN TO THE CENTER OF THE BOG,

THEN KILLED THERE ON PURPOSE.

BUT WHO WOULD DO THIS AND WHY?

MIRANDA, HI.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

DR. MIRANDA ALDHOUSE-GREEN

IS A RENOWNED PROFESSOR OF ARCHAEOLOGY,

AND SHE'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE WORLD'S FOREMOST EXPERTS

ON THE IRON AGE.

THAT'S WHEN MANY OF THESE BOG BODIES

SEEM TO HAVE BEEN KILLED.

I WAS SHOCKED BY THE CONCEPT OF OVERKILL.

THE FACT THAT HE WAS KILLED THREE TIMES IS REALLY IMPORTANT,

BECAUSE A PERSON WHO WAS DOING THAT

KNEW EXACTLY HOW TO KEEP THIS PERSON

HOVERING ON THE EDGE OF DEATH

FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

SO YOU THINK HE DIDN'T DIE FROM THE FIRST KILL?

THE FIRST INJURIES HE HAD WERE BLOWS TO THE SKULL,

WHICH STUNNED HIM BUT DIDN'T KILL HIM.

♪♪

THEN HE WAS GARROTED WITH A ROPE,

AND AT THE SAME TIME, HIS THROAT WAS CUT.

WHEN THE THROAT WAS CUT, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN

A FOUNTAIN OF BLOOD, AND THAT WAS QUITE DELIBERATE.

AND I SUSPECT HE WAS STILL ALIVE

WHEN HE WAS THEN PUSHED DOWN ONTO HIS KNEES

AND SHOVED FACE-DOWN INTO THE MARSH,

BECAUSE THERE WAS STUFF IN HIS LUNGS,

WHICH SHOWED THAT...

HE WAS STILL BREATHING IN THE MARSH.

...HE WAS STILL BREATHING.

SO THE PEOPLE WHO WERE PERPETRATING THIS HORROR

KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

THAT BRINGS ME BACK TO MY MAIN QUESTION.

IT'S NOT JUST, "WHY DID THEY CHOOSE THOSE PEOPLE,

WHY DID THEY KILL THEM."

WHO DID IT? WHO WAS THE KILLER?

ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT LINDOW MAN WAS THAT,

BECAUSE OF THE BOG'S PRESERVATION QUALITIES,

THE CONTENTS OF HIS STOMACH WERE ALL INTACT,

AND HE HAD A SPECIAL MEAL, BUT WITHIN THAT MEAL,

HE HAD A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MISTLETOE.

-YEAH. -NOW, MISTLETOE IS POISONOUS,

BUT IT DID HAVE THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES, AS WELL.

BUT THAT TIES IN WITH THE DRUIDS.

IN CELTIC CULTURE, DRUIDS WERE HIGH-RANKING PRIESTS

WHO CONTROLLED EVERY ASPECT OF THEIR SOCIETY.

THEY ORALLY PASSED DOWN TRADITIONS

FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT.

A DRUID WOULD NEED TO SPEND OVER TWO DECADES

JUST TO LEARN THE ANCIENT VERSE

NEEDED TO COMMUNE WITH THEIR GODS

AND TO BE ALLOWED TO PERFORM THEIR MOST SACRED RITUAL --

HUMAN SACRIFICE.

♪♪

NOTHING IS MORE SACRED TO THE DRUIDS THAN MISTLETOE.

SO THIS REALLY STRENGTHENS THE CONNECTION

BETWEEN THE DRUIDS AND LINDOW MAN.

I THINK SO, YES.

I THINK THESE WERE SACRIFICIAL ACTS,

AND I THINK THEY WERE TO DO WITH AVERTING DISASTER,

WHETHER IT'S FAMINE, DISEASE, OR WHATEVER.

SO IT WAS SOME FORM OF LARGE-SCALE RELIGIOUS RITUAL

TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY.INDEED.

♪♪

IT SEEMS LIKE MURDERERS COULD HAVE BEEN DRUIDS,

AND THE IDEA OF A RITUAL MAKES SENSE,

GIVEN THE NUMBER OF BODIES AND WAYS THEY WERE KILLED.

WHAT I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE WHY BEHIND THESE KILLINGS.

ERIN KAVANAGH IS A SCIENTIST,

AND ALSO, A MODERN-DAY DRUID.

YOU ARE A DRUID YOURSELF?

YES, BUT I'M ALSO A SCIENTIST.

AND IS IT DIFFERENT THAN THE ANCIENT DRUID?

WELL, DRUIDS WERE NATURAL PHILOSOPHERS.

THEY WERE THE SCIENTISTS OF THEIR DAY.

SO THEY UNDERSTOOD ABOUT CROPS.

THEY KNEW ABOUT ASTRONOMY

AND THE CHANGING OF THE SEASONS AND THE NATURAL LAND.

SO, THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTROLLING THE ENVIRONMENT

AND INFORMING PEOPLE.

BUT IF THEY WERE SO EDUCATED,

WHY WOULD THEY HAVE THESE VICIOUS MURDERS?

AND WHY WOULD THEY KILL THOSE PEOPLE THAT WAY?

THEY WEREN'T VICIOUS MURDERS.

WHAT RECENT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN IS THAT,

LOSS CONSCIOUSNESS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED VERY EARLY ON.

IF WE LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF BOG BODIES

THAT HAVE HAD SOME SORT OF TOXIN

INGESTED BEFOREHAND, WHETHER IT'S BEEN MUSHROOMS

OR OTHER FORMS OF HALLUCINOGENS,

THEY MAY WELL HAVE BEEN QUITE OUT OF IT

BY THE TIME THEY EVEN GOT AS FAR AS THE BOGS.

SO, WITH LINDOW MAN,

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A THEATRE OF SACRIFICE.

♪♪

SO, THEY STRANGLED HIM.

SO SOMEONE WOULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND HIM.

♪♪

THEN, WHEN THEY SLIT HIS THROAT...

[ MAN SCREAMS ]

...THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT AMOUNT OF BLOOD PRESSURE

AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SPRAYED WITH BLOOD.

YES.

SO, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A FOUNTAIN OF IT.

AND THE GROUND WOULD HAVE BEEN SOAKED,

THE INDIVIDUALS CONCERNED WOULD HAVE BEEN SOAKED.

THEN, THE PERFORMANCE OF BRUTALITY -- WHY?

IT MAY WELL HAVE BEEN A WAY OF BLESSING THE BOG WITH THE BLOOD.

SO IT WAS OFFERINGS. IT WAS OFFERINGS.

A GIFT TO THE GODS.

YES. WHY?

STILL, I DON'T KNOW THE WHY.

WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT? WHY IS THERE A PERFORMANCE?

WHAT DOES IT GAIN THEM?

♪♪

THAT.

IT SEEMS LIKE THE DRUIDS WERE COMPLETELY RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE BOG BODIES.

Romany: MY INVESTIGATION INTO THE DOZENS OF MUMMIES

DISCOVERED IN ENGLAND'S BOGS IS SUGGESTING THAT THE DRUIDS,

THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THE ANCIENT CELTS,

MAY HAVE COMMITTED HUMAN SACRIFICES.

ERIN KAVANAGH IS A MODERN-DAY DRUID HERSELF.

SHE'S GIVING ME INSIGHT

INTO THE MYSTERY BEHIND THESE RITUALS.

Kavanagh: THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A THEATRE OF SACRIFICE,

BLESSING THE BOG WITH THE BLOOD

IN ORDER TO GET RICHNESS OUT OF THE BOG AFTERWARDS.

WHY? STILL, I DON'T KNOW THE WHY.

WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT? WHY IS THERE A PERFORMANCE?

WHAT DOES IT GAIN THEM?

THE BOG HAS ITS OWN GIFTS. IT HAS THE GIFTS OF FIRE,

THE GIFTS OF WATER.

BOG ORE. BOG ORE.

I HAVE SOME HERE.

PLEASE.

THIS IS A PARTICULARLY IMPRESSIVE PIECE.

AND THIS BECOMES IRON?THAT BECOMES IRON.

AND IN THE IRON AGE, IRON WAS INVALUABLE.

YES. SO THIS, RIGHT HERE,

COULD BE THE REASON WHY WE ARE FINDING BODIES IN BOGS?

YES.

WERE THE CELTIC DRUIDS OFFERING HUMAN SACRIFICE TO THE BOGS?

BLOOD IN EXCHANGE FOR IRON?

♪♪

I'VE ASKED ERIN TO CONNECT ME WITH SOMEONE

WHO KNOWS WHY BOG ORE WAS WORTH KILLING FOR.

ANCIENT PEOPLE WERE GETTING IRON ORE FROM THE BOGS.

I'M EAGER TO SEE HOW THEY DID IT.

♪♪

HEY. HOW YOU DOING? PLEASURE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US.

HI. HOW ARE YOU?

YEAH, GOOD. THANK YOU.

SO, WE HAVE A FURNACE OVER HERE

AND WE'RE GONNA BE SMELTING BOG IRON ORE

AND MAKING IRON OUT OF IT.

THE IRON AGE IN THE REGION NOW KNOWN AS GREAT BRITAIN

BEGAN AROUND 800 B.C.,

ONCE IRON-SMELTED WEAPONS AND TOOLS BECAME WIDE-SPREAD.

THE HARDNESS OF THESE FORGED IRON WEAPONS

CREATED A MASSIVE TECHNOLOGICAL EDGE

OVER ADVERSARIES WHO WERE USING BRONZE EQUIVALENTS.

THAT ALONE PROVED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.

WORKING WITH OWEN TO USE THE SAME ANCIENT TECHNIQUES

TO FORGE A WEAPON FROM BOG ORE

WILL GIVE ME GREATER INSIGHT INTO THE DRUIDS THEMSELVES.

BASICALLY, WHAT'S HAPPENING,

IS THAT WE'RE USING HEAT TO GIVE THE PROCESS ENERGY,

AND WE'RE USING CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE FURNACE.

SO CARBON FROM THE CHARCOAL

TO TRANSFORM THIS IRON OXIDE INTO IRON.

WELL, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

♪♪

ARE THERE ANY SAFETY RULES THAT I NEED TO BE WARY OF?

YOU JUST HAVE TO BE AWARE THAT THIS IS A VERY HOT FIRE.

THE TEMPERATURE IN THE CORE OF THIS FURNACE IS SOMEWHERE

AROUND ABOUT 1,500 CENTIGRADE,

POSSIBLY A LITTLE BIT MORE.

THAT'S OVER 2,500 FAHRENHEIT.

YEAH, IT'S VERY HOT.

HERE WE GO. LET'S MAKE SOME IRON.

♪♪

WE'RE TRYING TO HEAT IT IN THE PRESENCE

OF CARBON, OF CARBON MONOXIDE,

AND ALSO PHYSICAL CARBON FROM THE CHARCOAL.

BECAUSE THEN CARBON MONOXIDE IS GONNA TAKE THAT OXYGEN AWAY

FROM THE IRON OXIDE,

LEAVES THE IRON, AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.

THAT'S EXACTLY IT.

THESE WILL HAVE A BIT OF SLAG AT THE BOTTOM,

SO SOLIDIFIED MOLTEN MATERIAL FROM THE IRON ORE,

AND THEN HOPEFULLY A BLOOM JUST ABOVE IT.

AND I'M GONNA START POKING A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM

AND SCRAPING OUT WHAT'S UNDER IT.

SLAG IS THE IMPURITIES IN MINERALS AROUND THE IRON.

AT THIS TEMPERATURE, WHEN THOSE MELT

AND START TO FALL AWAY INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE FURNACE,

THE REMAINING MATERIAL, MIXED WITH IRON,

IS CALLED BLOOM.

Romany: THERE IT IS. WHAT IS THAT?

Bush: THAT'S SLAG.THAT'S LIQUID SLAG.

YEP. WHICH IS A GOOD.

SO, WE'VE DEFINITELY GOT A BLOOM IN HERE.

I THINK WE'VE GOT SLAG AT THE BOTTOM, BLOOM UP HERE.

I CAN FEEL THE HEAT.

THIS LOOKS AMAZING.

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY SIMILAR PROCESS TO THE IRON AGE.

SO, WE GOT TO MOVE QUICK, HUH?

I'M READY.

♪♪

POUNDING THE BLOOM WITH A HAMMER

TAKES THE REST OF THE SLAG OUT OF IT.

SO WHAT'S LEFT IS PURE IRON.

♪♪

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT PIECE OF BLOOM

THAT CAME OUT OF THE SMELTING PROCESS.

AND ONCE THEY HEAT THAT UP IN EVEN HIGHER TEMPERATURES,

THEY CAN MELT THAT IRON INTO SHAPE

AND MAKE IT INTO A WEAPON OR A TOOL.

I CAN SEE HOW THIS PROCESS MUST HAVE SEEMED

LIKE MAGIC TO THE CELTS.

THERE IT IS. IT'S COMING OUT.

SO, IF YOU'D PASS ME THE HAMMER.

ALL I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS JUST WORK AROUND,

CLEANING UP THE OUTLINE SHAPE.

♪♪

SO, ONE IRON AGE KNIFE.

WOW. LOOK AT THIS.

BOG ORE WAS OBVIOUSLY CRUCIAL TO THE PEOPLE OF THE IRON AGE.

THIS WAS THEIR SURVIVAL.

AND ASSURING THE ABUNDANCE OF BOG ORE --

YOU WOULD KILL FOR THAT.

WITH THE MILITARY ADVANTAGE

THE BOG ORE PROVIDED TO THE CELTIC PEOPLE

AND THE SEEMINGLY MYSTICAL PROCESS

REQUIRED TO FORGE THESE IRON WEAPONS,

I UNDERSTAND WHY THEY OFFERED HUMAN SACRIFICE TO THE BOG.

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE LOCATION OF THE SACRIFICE

AT THE CENTER OF THE BOG

WAS IMPORTANT TO THIS RITUAL,

AS IT WAS FOR LINDOW MAN.

SO I'M GOING TO DENMARK,

HOME TO OVER 500 BOG BODY DISCOVERIES,

TO MEET WITH ARCHAEOLOGIST OLE NIELSEN.

HE'S AGREED TO LET ME EXAMINE THE MOST FAMOUS OF THEM ALL

SO I CAN TEST THIS THEORY.

I'VE HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT TOLLUND MAN,

AND HAVE NEVER MET HIM YET.

WOW.

♪♪

IT'S SO...

REAL.

HIS FOREHEAD.

THE WRINKLES IN HIS EYELIDS.

EVERY WRINKLE ON HIS LIPS.

THE STUBBLE ON HIS FACE.

HIS NOSE. EVERY PART OF HIM.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT

THIS BODY IS OVER 2,400 YEARS OLD.

THIS IS THE MOST WELL-PRESERVED HUMAN REMAIN

I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

IN MAY 1950, TWO BROTHERS,

WHO WERE DIGGING PEAT TO USE AS FUEL,

DISCOVERED A BODY JUST SIX FEET BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE BOG.

THIS WAS TOLLUND MAN.

WHAT MAKES THIS BOG BODY DIFFERENT?

POLICE CALLED ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN IMMEDIATELY

BEFORE THEY DISTURBED THE BODY,

GIVING AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF HOW HE WAS FOUND.

THAT NOOSE AROUND THE NECK?

MOST OF THE BOG BODIES THAT I'VE SEEN

ALSO HAVE SOMETHING AROUND THEIR NECK,

THAT THEY WERE ALL HUNG THAT WAY.

Ole: YEAH.

HE WAS HANGED IN A WAY THAT HE DIDN'T SNAP HIS NECK,

HE DIDN'T BREAK ANY VERTEBRAS,

BUT IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW -- THE SUPPLY OF AIR

WAS CUT OFF, AND THAT'S IT.

NO OTHER DAMAGE HAS BEEN AFFLICTED TO HIM.

♪♪

IT'S LIKE HE WILL WAKE UP AT ANY SECOND

AND STARE YOU RIGHT IN THE EYE.

NOT ONLY IS THE FACE EXTREMELY WELL-PRESERVED,

BUT THIS IS NOT REALLY HIS BODY, IS IT?

NO. WHEN HE WAS FOUND,

ONLY HIS HEAD WAS PRESERVED LIKE THIS,

AND THE REMAINS OF HIS BODY

WERE SCATTERED AROUND,

SO WHEN WE MADE THIS EXHIBITION,

WE MADE A COPY OF HIS BODY.

BUT WE DO HAVE THE ORIGINAL PARTS.

I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT HIS REAL BODY.

LET'S DO THAT.

♪♪

THIS IS EXCITING. [ CHUCKLES ]

THIS IS OUR TREASURE BOX HERE.

IT IS A TREASURE BOX.

SO, RIGHT INSIDE HERE

IS EVERY OTHER BODY PART,

OTHER THAN THE FACE OF TOLLUND MAN.

-YES. -YES.

AND IT'S HIDING IN A MUSEUM STORAGE.

♪♪

WOW.

WOW!

I AM LOST FOR WORDS.

OH, MY GOD.

WOW.

Nina: YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE BONE INSIDE THE FOOT HERE.

I'VE SEEN AND STUDIED HUNDREDS OF MUMMIES

OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES,

AND I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS.

♪♪

OH, MY GOD.

THAT'S ALL SKIN, RIGHT?

Nina: YES.

WOW.

THAT'S A TORSO.

THE HIP BONES ARE MISSING HERE.

BUT WE HAVE THE VERTEBRAE HERE AND THE RIBS.

AH, HIS RIBS, HUH?

Romany: BUT I REALIZE THAT THE CLUES TOLLUND MAN

CAN GIVE US MIGHT NOT BE IN THE BODY,

BUT, RATHER, IN THE PLACEMENT OF THE BODY.

NINA, CAN YOU SHOW ME

EXACTLY WHERE TOLLUND MAN WAS FOUND?

I'LL TRY. I'LL DO MY BEST.

LET'S GO.

♪♪

IF I FIND THAT TOLLUND MAN WAS SACRIFICED

AT THE HEART OF THE BOG --

ITS MOST CENTRAL AND DEEPEST PART,

JUST LIKE LINDOW MAN --

THIS COULD BE THE KEY

TO QUICKLY DISCOVERING NEW BOG BODIES

THROUGHOUT NORTHERN EUROPE,

BEFORE ADVANCING DEVELOPMENT WIPES THEM OUT FOR GOOD.

Romany: THE BIGGEST THING IS PATTERNS, RIGHT?

WHEN YOU HAVE NO WRITTEN RECORDS,

WHEN YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE,

WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE STORY,

PATTERNS REALLY PATTERN.

AND IF WE CAN FIND THAT ALL THESE BOG BODIES

WERE IN THE MOST CENTER PART OF THE BOG,

THEN THAT WOULD BE A PATTERN.

Ole: THAT WOULD BE A PATTERN, INDEED.

SO, THIS IS THE BOG?

THE ENTIRE BOG IS HUGE.

YOU CAN SEE HERE. THIS WAS ALL BOG HERE.

NOW, WHERE EXACTLY WAS TOLLUND MAN FOUND IN THIS BOG?

WE KNOW THAT IN '52,

A TOOLSMITH FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM

WENT INTO THE BOG, THEN HE TOOK SOME PICTURES.

HERE'S ONE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT HE MADE.

AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THE PEAT WALLS STILL STANDING,

WHICH WAS PROBABLY THE PEAT WALLS WE SEE HERE.

OKAY.

Romany: BASED ON NINA'S OLD PHOTOS,

I'M GOING TO TRY AND FIND EXACTLY

WHERE TOLLUND MAN WAS DISCOVERED.

♪♪

SO, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE, HUH?

Nina: SO, BASED ON THE MAPS,

TOLLUND WAS FOUND ABOUT 10 TO 15 METERS

FROM THE PEAT WALL. OKAY.

SO TOLLUND MAN MUST'VE BEEN FOUND JUST RIGHT HERE

IN THIS AREA.

NINA, THAT IS THE CENTER OF THE BOG.

♪♪

Romany: IF I FIND THAT TOLLUND MAN WAS SACRIFICED

AT THE CENTER OF THE BOG --

JUST LIKE LINDOW MAN -- WOULD SUPPORT MY THEORY

THAT PLACEMENT WAS CRITICAL TO THE SACRIFICE ITSELF.

Nina: SO, TOLLUND MAN MUST'VE BEEN FOUND

JUST RIGHT HERE, IN THIS AREA.

NINA, THAT IS THE CENTER OF THE BOG.

♪♪

IT IS THE CENTER OF THE BOG.

AND ON THE OLD MAPS, WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE

THAT LAYOUT PLACED AT THE VERY DEEPEST PART,

WHERE THERE WAS THE MOST WATER, BACK IN 1874.

THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING.

THAT MEANS WE CAN GO AROUND IN THE BOGS

THAT ARE STILL THERE TODAY,

AND INSTEAD OF LOOKING ALL OVER,

WE CAN GO AHEAD RIGHT IN THE CENTER

AND LOOK THERE AND FIND THESE SECRETS

BEFORE MODERN DEVELOPMENT TAKES THEM AWAY.

WELL, THAT'S A POSSIBILITY.

DO YOU KNOW OF ANY CURRENT EXCAVATION ON ANY BOGS TODAY?

WELL, AT THE MOMENT, BOG -- [SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

DOWN BY JELLING, SO I WOULD SUGGEST

THAT YOU GO DOWN THERE AND HAVE A LOOK.

♪♪

THE EXCAVATION SITE IS A FORMER BOG

THAT HAS BEEN DRAINED FOR PLANTING.

WOW. LOOK AT THIS.

IN JUST A FEW MONTHS,

IT WILL BE LOST TO A MASSIVE NEW DEVELOPMENT.

♪♪

MADS? YEAH.

HEY.

I'M MEETING WITH MADS RAVN,

THE HEAD OF ARCHAEOLOGY AT THE VEJLE MUSEUM,

WHO'S IN THE RACE AGAINST TIME TO UNEARTH IRON AGE RELICS

AND BODIES BURIED IN PEAT.

BASICALLY, IT'S ALL ABOUT GETTING STUFF FOUND,

AND TAKE IT INTO THE MUSEUM.

AND YOU HAVEN'T FOUND ANYTHING HERE YET?

NO, WE HAVEN'T FOUND THAT MUCH AT THE MOMENT HERE, NO.

-YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT? -NO.

SO YOU'RE PUTTING ALL YOUR RESOURCES HERE RIGHT NOW.

YES, YES.

WHAT'S YOUR METHODOLOGY IN EXCAVATING BOGS LIKE THIS?

HOW DO YOU LOOK? WHERE DO YOU LOOK FIRST?

WELL, YOU SEE, WHEN YOU HAVE TO INVESTIGATE AN AREA

OF 23 HECTARES, YOU CANNOT USE A SHOVEL.

YOU HAVE TO USE A MACHINE BASICALLY,

AND THAT'S WHY WE DO THESE SYSTEMATIC TRENCHES.

MADS AND HIS TEAM HAVE ONLY A FEW MONTHS REMAINING

TO DIG THROUGH 23 HECTARES, AND SO FAR,

HIS TEAM HAS ONLY BEEN DIGGING ON THE PERIMETER OF THE BOG.

AND THE THEORY IS THAT,

THOSE RITUALS THAT HAPPENED IN THE BOGS

TOOK PLACE RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE BOG.

WE HAVE TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW THE BOG LOOKED LIKE

2,000 YEARS AGO FOR US TO LOCATE THE CENTER OF IT.

WHAT YOU'RE DOING, IT TAKES A LONG TIME,

BUT IF THIS THEORY IS CORRECT,

JUST IMAGINE HOW MANY THINGS WE CAN FIND

BEFORE THESE LANDS GO AWAY.

DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS BOG LOOKED LIKE 2,000 YEARS AGO?

NOT EXACTLY, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME LIDAR SCANS.

LIDAR MAPS. THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO LOOK AT.

LIDAR IMAGING USES PULSES OF LASER LIGHT

TO DETECT UNDERGROUND FORMATIONS.

ON THIS SCAN, THE DARKEST PARTS SHOW WHERE IT WAS THE WETTEST.

Mads: THEN YOU CAN ZOOM IN THIS AREA.

I SEE. LIDAR IS THE WAY TO GO.

YOU HAVE, LIKE, THESE DARK SPOTS.

CAN YOU MOVE -- MOVE LEFT FOR ME.

YEAH, YEAH.

THE SPOTS THAT ARE STILL WET TODAY

WERE ONCE THE DEEPEST PARTS OF THE BOG.

THIS PART HERE OF THE BOG, THE DARKEST PART,

THAT LOOKS THE DEEPEST.YEAH, IT DOES.

AND WE WANT TO FIND THE TRUE CENTER OF THIS BOG,

AND THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO DIG.

WHAT'S THE WIDTH OF THIS DEEPEST PART OF THE BOG?

123 METERS.

THAT'S ABOUT 360 FEET.

YEAH. OKAY.

AND HOW ABOUT THIS SIDE?

IT'S 50 METERS.

MADS IS MEASURING THE LENGTH AND WIDTH OF THE DARKEST SPOT.

THE SPOT WHERE THEY CROSS

IS WHERE WE'LL FIND THE CENTER OF THE BOG.

-IF THIS THEORY IS ACCURATE... -YES.

...RIGHT, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT IN THE CENTER,

WOULD BE THE PLACE WHERE WE CAN FIND SOMETHING.

YES. IF WE TODAY, YOU AND I,

DIG IN THAT CENTER OF THE BOG AND FIND SOMETHING,

THAT WOULD HELP THE FUTURE OF ARCHAEOLOGY

WHEN IT COMES TO BOG BODIES.

DO YOU MIND STOPPING EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING HERE?

UH... GO WITH ME

TO THE CENTER OF THE BOG AND START DIGGING?

LET'S DO IT.RIGHT IN THIS SPOT.

YEAH. LET'S GO. LET'S GO.

♪♪

WE'RE ABOUT RIGHT THERE, RIGHT?

YEAH, RIGHT HERE.

SO, THIS IS THE DIP.

AND YOU CAN SEE THIS WAS A LAKE OR A BOG AT SOME STAGE.

NOW IT'S BEEN DRAINED, SO THEN THE TURF HAS COLLAPSED

AND, THEREFORE, IT'S DEEPER.

THIS IS THE DEEPEST PART OF THE BOG, ISN'T IT?

YEAH. THAT'S GREAT.

I MEAN, LOOK AT THIS.

YEAH.

OKAY, LET'S BRING THEM HERE.

♪♪

2,000 YEARS AGO, RIGHT HERE IN THIS SPOT,

WOULD HAVE BEEN THE DEEPEST, MOST CENTER SPOT

IN THE WHOLE BOG.

THIS, IF MY THEORY IS CORRECT,

WOULD BE THE SPOT WHERE WE CAN FIND BOG BODIES AND OFFERINGS

THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED DURING THE IRON AGE TIME.

IF THIS CENTER OF THE BOG HAS ANYTHING IN IT,

THEN WE'RE PROVING A PATTERN NOW.

THIS WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.

THIS IS BIG.

THAT'S THE TOP LAYER? YEAH.

KEEP GOING. THAT'S GOOD.

[ MACHINERY WHIRRING ]

THERE'S NO MORE PEAT.

IT'S ALL CLAY HERE.

SOMETIMES THE TURF WOULD HAVE COLLAPSED.

IT WILL, YOU KNOW, GET VERY, VERY DENSE.

ESPECIALLY IF IT LIES FOR, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF YEARS,

100 YEARS, 200 YEARS.

ALL THE LAYERS GET VERY CONDENSED,

SO IF YOU JUST SCRAPE ONE, YOU'RE 100 YEARS DOWN.

OXYGEN HAS COME IN.

EVERYTHING ELSE DISAPPEARS.

PEAT FORMS AT A MILLIMETER AT YEAR.

SO, NORMALLY, YOU'VE GOT TO GO SIX FEET DOWN

TO GET TO 2,000 YEARS AGO,

BUT THIS BOG IS COMPRESSED FROM BEING DRAINED,

SO IT'S HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN JUST A FEW INCHES.

SO, WE HAVE 2,000 YEARS OF HISTORY IN THIS MUCH SOIL.

YES.

AND WE MIGHT LOSE THE CHANCE OF FINDING A BOG BODY

BECAUSE NOW THEY'RE PAPER THIN AND DISSIPATE INTO THE SOIL.

BUT THAT DOESN'T TAKE AWAY THE CHANCE OF FINDING

A NON-HUMAN OFFERING, ANY TYPE OF ARTIFACT.

SO WE MIGHT HAVE 3,000 YEARS OF HISTORY IN FOUR-FOOT OF DIRT.

AND THAT'S WHY METAL-DETECTING IN ALL THESE LITTLE HEAPS

IS CRUCIAL.

♪♪

WE'VE CALIBRATED THE METAL DETECTORS

TO BE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE SO THEY'RE CAPABLE OF PICKING UP

EVEN THE SMALLEST OF IRON ARTIFACTS.

♪♪

[ METAL DETECTOR BEEPS ]

[ METAL DETECTOR BEEPING ]

MADS, THERE'S SOMETHING HERE.

♪♪

Romany: THIS IS HARALDSKAER WOMAN.

AND JUST LIKE MANY OTHER BOG BODIES,

WHEN SHE WAS DISCOVERED, SHE WAS MISIDENTIFIED.

BUT THIS ONE WAS MISIDENTIFIED AS THE QUEEN OF NORWAY,

WHO WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED BY HER HUSBAND,

KING OF THE VIKING, HARALD BLUETOOTH.

YES, THE ONE WHO THE CURRENT

BLUETOOTH TECHNOLOGY WAS NAMED AFTER.

BUT IN THE YEAR 2000,

WHEN THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO DO ADVANCED POSTMORTEM STUDIES,

THEY FOUND OUT THAT QUEEN GUNNHILD

DIED 1,500 YEARS TOO LATE TO BE HER.

AND THIS IS A EUROPEAN IRON AGE BOG BODY.

THIS MUMMY IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY

HELPING US SOLVE SECRETS OF THE PAST.

♪♪

Romany: WITH LAND DEVELOPMENTS THREATENING TO DESTROY THE BOGS

AND THE SECRETS THEY HOLD,

IT'S CRUCIAL THAT WE DISCOVER BOG BODIES AND ARTIFACTS

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

IF MY THEORY IS CORRECT, WHEN ANCIENT CELTS

RITUALLY SACRIFICED THESE BODIES,

IT WAS RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE BOG,

SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE LOOKING RIGHT NOW.

♪♪

[ METAL DETECTOR BEEPS ]

[ METAL DETECTOR BEEPING ]

MADS, I THINK I GOT A HIT HERE.

IT'S NOT SUPER STRONG, IT MIGHT BE DEEP,

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING HERE.

[ METAL DETECTOR BEEPING ]

LET'S DO THIS.

LET'S SAVE IT HERE.

OH. I HIT IT.

WHAT IS THIS?

IT'S IRON.

IT'S IRON.

Mads: AGRICULTURE.

AGRICULTURE TOOLS?YEAH, RECENT.

WHEN THEY RUST, THEY FALL OFF WHEN THEY DRIVE THEM.

YEAH. SO THERE'S NOTHING ELSE HERE?

WELL FOUND.

WELL FOUND.[ LAUGHS ]

THERE'S ONE THING I LEARNED FROM THE SANDS OF EGYPT, MADS.

WHAT IS THAT? DON'T GIVE UP.

'CAUSE WE HAVE WAYS TO GO.

YES. RIGHT?

YES. LET'S KEEP DIGGING.

♪♪

♪♪

[ METAL DETECTOR BEEPS ]

♪♪

[ METAL DETECTOR BEEPING ]

♪♪

HEY, RAMY? YEAH?

I THINK NOW WE'VE GOT SOMETHING.

YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING? YEAH.

COME AND CHECK IT OUT.YOU'VE GOT A HIT?

MAYBE.

HERE IT IS.

♪♪

WHAT IS IT?

LOOK AT THIS.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS.

IS THIS IRON AGE?THAT'S IRON AGE.

ARE YOU SURE? I'M SURE.

AND YOU THINK THIS WAS AN OFFERING?

COULD'VE BEEN, YES.

MADS, DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS?

WE ARE RIGHT HERE AT THE CENTER OF THE BOG.

YES.

WOW.

IT'S A PART OF JEWELRY?

YES.

CELTIC SACRIFICE VICTIMS HAVE BEEN FOUND

WITH A BROOCH LIKE THIS,

FASTENING A CLOAK AROUND THEIR SHOULDERS.

SO THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT UNDERNEATH US

THERE'S STILL A BOG BODY THAT HAD THIS ON?

COULD BE, YES.

♪♪

WELL, YOU STILL HAVE SIX MONTHS TO GO

BEFORE THIS PLACE TURNS INTO A DEVELOPMENT, RIGHT?

YES. WE'LL DO WHAT WE CAN.

THANK YOU, MADS.

THIS GIVES ARCHAEOLOGISTS ALL OVER EUROPE

A SEARCH STRATEGY TO LOCATE MORE BOG BODIES

AND ANCIENT CELTIC RELICS --

LOCATE THE CENTER OF THE BOG AND SEARCH THERE.

SEPARATED BY HUNDREDS OF MILES ACROSS LAND AND SEA,

THE BOG BODIES ARE REVEALING THEIR SECRETS --

THE RITUAL MEAL, THE DELIBERATE PLACEMENT OF THESE BODIES.

A PICTURE IS BEGINNING TO EMERGE

OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING ACROSS NORTHERN EUROPE.

THIS DIDN'T JUST GIVE THEM PROSPERITY.

THIS GAVE THEM SURVIVAL.

THEY NEEDED THAT IRON FROM THE BOGS.

THEY NEEDED THAT PEAT FOR FUEL.

WITHOUT IT, THEY DON'T SURVIVE.

AS TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES TO PROGRESS,

WE WILL USE THESE TOOLS TO LEARN EVEN MORE

ABOUT THESE AMAZING MUMMIES.

♪♪