Reconstruction by the Silkeborg Museum
Tollund Man’s body is currently on display at the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark. When Tollund Man was first discovered and was being analysed back in the 1950s, preservation and conservation techniques were not advanced enough to preserve his whole body. Researchers decided to separate the head, the feet and the right thumb from the rest of the body and preserve them, which lead to the body drying up and the tissue disintegrating. Although in 1987, the Silkeborg Museum reconstructed the body using the remains of the body’s skeleton. The only original parts of the discovery remaining is the head, right thumb and both feet, which are all attached to the reconstructed body. (Therkel Matthiassen, 1987)
Images of the reconstructed body and other original parts
1. Tollund Man's original and preserved head.
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2. Tollund Man's original and preserved feet.
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3. A comparison image of Tollund Man's original head and an artistic representation.
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4. The reconstruction of Tollund Man's arms and legs.
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5. A researcher working on the reconstruction of Tollund Man.
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6. The near complete reconstruction of Tollund Man, made of clay and other materials.
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Artistic Representations and Impressions
There are many facial reconstructions that have been digitally created using computer programs to represent what Tollund Man possibly looked like. This was not difficult to complete by these artists as Tollund Man’s face was the most well preserved part of his body, looking like a normal human with very distinct features. Besides Tollund Man's facial features, we can reconstruct certain aspects of his life through the research and examination of his body. Some of these aspects include:
- His diet - when Tollund Man's stomach contents were examined, it revealed that his last meal consisted of a mixture of seeds, grain, barley and oats. From this information, we can assume what Tollund Man ate throughout his life and what kind of diet he followed. Tollund Man's last meal was a meal typically eaten by someone of lower class who could not afford the luxuries of the wealthy people within his kingdom. Therefore we can assume his diet consisted of mostly basic foods such as soups and porridges or lighter meals consisting of seeds, grains, barley and oats. (Hans Helbæk, 1950)
- His lifestyle - once again due to Tollund Man's stomach contents, we can gather the kind of lifestyle he lived and his status or level of class in the society in which he lived. Due to the basic foods consumed, we can gather he was someone of lower class or status within society, therefore being a farmer or worker. (Knud Thorvaldsen, 1950)
- His clothing - due to Tollund Man's status being of lower class and his lifestyle of being a farmer, we can gather the kind of clothes he wore. A farmer would typically have worn basic clothes or working clothes, suitable to be used when working in the field. This is typically shown through the cap and the belt discovered with Tollund Man, in which would be worn by a farmer or worker. We can also assume the clothes in which he would wear accompanied by these pieces of clothing. (Knud Thorvaldsen, 1950)
- His health - after examining Tollund Man's body and his physical appearance, as well as being a farmer and completing physical work, we can see that he was someone who was muscular and physically fit. Also, being aged 30 to 40 years old, we can gather that he was at the peak of his health and physical condition. (Knud Thorvaldsen, 1950)
- His death - the strains left on Tollund Man's neck and under his chin from the noose found with the body allows researchers to determine his cause of death through scientific techniques, which was by hanging. X-Rays revealed that the cervical vertebrae was not damaged and that Tollund Man died through strangulation. From this information, we can make further conclusions regarding the death of Tollund Man. Many ancient writers such as Tactitus and Strabo discuss how the barbaric societies at the time of the Celtic Iron Age would sacrifice human beings to the gods in thanks for the peat provided by them. Researchers believe that Tollund Man was an example of these victims of sacrifice. (Aarhus District General Hospital Director, 2002) When analysing Tollund Man's death, researchers can also support their archaeological examinations with written evidence from ancient writers such as Tacitus, who said "At fixed seasons all tribes of the same name and blood gather through their delegations at a certain forest... and after publicly offering a human life, they celebrate the grim 'initiation' of their barbarous worship. There is a further tribute which they pay to the grove: no on enters it until he has been bound with a cord." (Germania, 39, 1-2, 98AD)