Preserved Bodies in the Iron Age

[The Gypsy]

This might be a little similar to an earlier post about bog bodies but this is perhaps a little more general. I am curious about preserved ancient bodies from this period, like bog bodies but not just them exclusively. The most famous case of this (ie. the only one I know about) is Ortiz the Iceman. I know this was in the early copper age in Switzerland but I am curious if similar cases have occurred in the later Iron Age, in and around Europe.

[Brennus]

Bog bodies occur from the Bronze Age right until the Germanic Iron Age in Denmark (the Dark Ages for southern Europe). They tend to be a feature of Ireland, Britain, Germany and Denmark, as these regions have substantial peat bogs. A quick list of bog bodies can be found on Wikipedia however if you are looking for some serious literature which discusses the subject I would suggest P.V. Glob (1998) "The Bog People", C. Bryony (1999) "Bog bodies, sacred sites and wetland archaeology" W. A. B. van der Sanden (1996) "Through nature to eternity" or more recently K. Sanders (2012) "Bodies in the Bog and the Archaeological Imagination".

[The Gypsy]

It was mentioned in the previous threads that most of these Bog Bodies are ritually sacrificed, and seems to to sacrificed for various deformities. Is there any suggestion that it could be either some kind of punishment or on the other end of the scale, an honour to be killed in this way? Perhaps to fallen warriors, if there are any weapons with the bodies? Apologies, If I'm going over similar ground, but this kind of stuff about archaeology I find quite interesting . Thanks in advance

[Brennus]

Punishment is certainly a possibility, in Germania Tacitus describes how criminals are hung and some bog bodies do show signs of strangulation. It is highly doubtful that being killed in such a way was considered an honour. Most of the bodies recovered have been found with little clothing and are not associated with anything which would suggest that they were martial in some way. In the case of the Netherlands, Denmark and some parts of Britain we have graves which identify the occupants as warriors and these graves are very very different from what we find associated with bog bodies.

[Mithridates VI Eupator]

On a slightly more distant note, we also have the so called "Salt Men" of Iran. Bodies of men from the Parthian period who were buried in a salt mine, and their bodies and clothes preservd. In that case, it is not a matter of sacrifice or any particular ritual involved, but rather, it seems they may have been victims of cave-ins, etc. Still, the bodies and their clothing are very well preserved, giving us a good example of how people in the Iranian plateau dressed ca 2000 years ago.

[Brennus]

Any pictures?