Analysis of Grauballe Woman

 

Analysis of Grauballe Woman

            The following is an analysis of the remains of “Grauballe Woman” found outside of Grauballe, Denmark within a peat bog.  Grauballe Woman appears to be a female from 25-30 years old.  She was found wearing a sheepskin cape and her hair was tied in a long and elaborate braid.  A leather cloak was tied around her legs and a noose was found around her neck.  These would indicate that she may have been incapacitated by the cloak and then hung.  A leather pouch was also found along with the body containing a dried fungus that is known to have been used for healing purposes and in rituals.  In the remainder of this paper, I will analyze Grauballe Woman’s long-term diet based on the condition of her bones and teeth as well as her apparent last meal based on the contents found in her stomach.

            An analysis of Grauballe Woman’s teeth showed significant wear which could indicate a diet over the course of her lifetime of coarsely ground grain and/or poor-quality food.  Her bones showed a Calcium deficiency and onset of Osteoporosis, which is normally only seen in much older people.  These indicators could point to a diet that was of poor quality and nutrient lacking, particularly Calcium.  It is likely that she was primarily a forager subsisting off wild seeds, nuts, and un-refined grains.  Radiocarbon dating could give an approximate timeline for when Grauballe Woman was alive and while we cannot tie her to a specific group, area sedimentary and palynological analysis could further provide clues as to what she may have eaten during the course of her life.

            An analysis of the contents of her stomach include the following findings:  tiny slivers of rabbit bones, Mistletoe pollen, Knotweed, Linseed, and a Barley porridge.  Linseed and Mistletoe pollen are only available in the area in the Spring, with Mistletoe pollen being further restricted to only in March and April.  Knotweed is a wild plant that is also only available in the Spring.  The Barley porridge found appears to be a domesticated Barley that would need to have been grown, harvested, ground, and cooked into a porridge.  The fact that most of the plant contents appear only in Spring would indicate her last meal was consumed during that time of the year.  Further palynological analysis of pollen found in the stomach contents could also produce a timeline for dating Grauballe Woman.

            In a final discussion about Grauballe Woman’s life and death, we can make some deductions.  It appears that she was primarily a forager whose poor diet caused her to be in poor health.  The contents of her last meal were likely not indicative of her normal everyday diet.  The fact that she was tied around the legs and hung indicates that she was intentionally killed.  We cannot know for certain why she was killed, but the stomach contents indicate she was likely given a substantive last meal.  This, along with the elaborate braid in her hair indicates this may have been a ritualistic type event.  The pouch of dried fungus found could also indicate that either she collected and used the fungus for healing or ritual purposes, or it could also indicate that the contents were included by those who killed her for a healing or ritualistic purpose.