Homicide Report # 2321

Investigative Officer:
Lt. Jacques Elliott, CSI Field Office
Tollund Village, Silkeborg Municipality
City of Silkeborg Coroner's Jurisdiction, Jutland, Denmark

The Tollund Man

Crime Scene Photography - Voucher # 3461:

The Tollund Man
Artist "In Life" concept - Niels Bach

Brief Summary:
Adult male approximately 30 to 40 years of age

Collaborating witnesses: Viggo and Emil Højgaard from the village of Tollund, 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) west of the city of Silkeborg, Denmark on the 6th of May 1950

Discovery location: The Bjældskovdal peat bog, 0.85 kilometres (0.5 mi) west of Tollund Village, Denmark

Approximate time of death: 350 to 400 BCE (Celtic Iron Age)

Cause of death: traumatic strangulation

Physical Evidence:

[1] The Tollund Man lay 50 meters (164 ft) away from firm ground, his body arranged in a fetal position, and buried under approximately 2 meters (7 ft) of peat. He wore a pointed skin cap fastened securely under his chin by a hide thong. There was a smooth hide belt around his waist. Other than this, the body was naked. Additionally, the corpse had a garotte made of hide drawn tight around the neck, and trailing down his back.

[2] His hair was cropped so short as to be almost entirely hidden by his cap. He was almost clean-shaven, but there was short stubble on his chin and upper lip, suggesting that he had not shaved on the day of his death.

[3] There was a rope (garotte) made of two woven leather lengthens around the victim's neck.

Coroner Summary:

Only the side of the body which had been turned upwards in the excavation of the peat bog showed signs of decomposition. On his right side, which has been turned downwards in the grave, the skin was well-preserved whereas the body itself has shrunk, thus making folds in the skin. Different measurements shows that he measured 161 centimeters when he was discovered. It is very likely though, that he shrank to a small degree in proportion to his original size during his time in the bog. His estimated height during his life time would have been approximately 5' 3" making him somewhat shorter in height than even the average 5' 6" Iron Age man.

His lower arms and hands are mostly skeletonized and partly lost as evidence due to the peat-mining process used in the bog - The victim's head, torso, thighs, feet, upper arms and one finger remain reasonably intact.

The head is amazingly well-preserved. The eyes are closed and so is the mouth - the look on his face is calm and solemn as if he is asleep. His hair is short 1-2 centimeters long. The red color of his hair is due to the influence of the bog water. We don't know at this time his true original hair color.

The hair on his head is covered by a crafted, pointed leather cap made of sheepskin. It is secured with two thin leather straps attached near the temples and tied together under his chin. There is a loop at the end of one strap making it easy to put the cap on and remove it again.

The belt is tied around the body's hips. The belt is 77 centimeters long and is made of thin lengths of leather. One end of the belt has an oblong cut through which the other end of the belt has been pulled through and secured with a loop which could easily be untied. The leather cap and the leather belt are the man's only remaining clothing. Around his neck is a braided leather rope tightened in a noose. The leather rope gives us the answer to one of the most interesting questions in connection with the Tollund Man: Death by lynching.

Forensic examiners extracted the stomach and intestines of the body for examinations. A botanist examined the remains of his last meal and concluded that Tollund Man had eaten a gruel or soup of some 30 different plant seeds, notably primitive barley, linseed, gold-of-pleasure, and knotgrass. His meal was purely vegetarian.

The rope has left a clearly visible furrow in the skin on the sides of his neck and under his chin, whereas there are no marks on the back of his neck where the knot was placed. The rope was strong enough to hold the weight of a grown man. The loose end, which was approximately 1 meter long, was rolled up and placed under the Tollund Man and was clearly been cut in half by a knife. The Jutland forensic examiners had no doubts when they decided on the cause of death: The victim had died form being hung.

Source:

The Silkeborg Museum, The Silkeborg Public Library and The Amtscentrest for Undervisning - Research materials and photography

Wikipedia - Research materials

"The Tollund Man" graphic artist - Niels Bach

Youtube.com ~ The Tollund Man ~ First Science.tv