Kingship and Sacrifice: Ireland's Bog Bodies
Dublin, Ireland
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Witness to the Iron Age
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250
XP
1 day
Kingship and Sacrifice: Ireland's Bog Bodies
250 XP
The National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street holds the most significant collection of Iron Age bog bodies in the world. Clonycavan Man and Old Croghan Man, both found in 2003, are the most intact. Clonycavan Man — found in Meath — was using a hair gel made from plant oil and pine resin imported from Spain or France, evidence of Iron Age international trade. Both men were killed in elaborate ritual sequences that archaeologists interpret as failed kingship sacrifices.
Required Activities
1
of 5
At Clonycavan Man, look at the hair — held up with a gel of plant oil and pine resin from Spain or southern France, which is Iron Age trade you can see
2
of 5
At Old Croghan Man, note what is missing — arms and torso only, and hands with no sign of manual work on a man who ate wheat and buttermilk
3
of 5
Find the other bodies in the same gallery, and read how each was placed in the bog on a boundary between kingdoms
4
of 5
Find the Ralaghan Idol, the Iron Age carved wooden figure from County Cavan, shown alongside the bodies
5
of 5
Find the Tara Brooch, the Ardagh Chalice and the Cross of Cong in the Treasury, and the Bronze Age goldwork in Ór — Ireland's Gold
At Clonycavan Man, look at the hair — held up with a gel of plant oil and pine resin from Spain or southern France, which is Iron Age trade you can see
At Old Croghan Man, note what is missing — arms and torso only, and hands with no sign of manual work on a man who ate wheat and buttermilk
Find the other bodies in the same gallery, and read how each was placed in the bog on a boundary between kingdoms
Find the Ralaghan Idol, the Iron Age carved wooden figure from County Cavan, shown alongside the bodies
Find the Tara Brooch, the Ardagh Chalice and the Cross of Cong in the Treasury, and the Bronze Age goldwork in Ór — Ireland's Gold
Before you go
The Natural History Museum on Merrion Street — the Dead Zoo — is closed for refurbishment; some of it has moved to the Dead Zoo Lab at Collins Barracks.
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XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
Potential total
250 XP
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