Hear about the latest research on this iconic international phenomenon from Dr Melanie Giles through the lens of a ‘cold case’ piece of forensic archaeology on Manchester’s bog head, known as Worsley man.
In this talk, Melanie will discuss how our ideas about both bog bodies and bogs have been shaped by centuries of prejudice about this extraordinary landscapes. Using the Iron Age archaeology, she will encourage us to think differently about these places and what they may have meant to later prehistoric communities, whilst situating Worsley man and his fate within the turbulent world of Roman conquest in the north.
Dr Melanie Giles is an archaeologist and leading expert on Iron Age Britain. She is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Manchester. Melanie’s latest book, Bog Bodies: face to face with the past, reinterprets the latest continental research and new discoveries. It brings the bogs to life through both natural history and folklore, revealing them as places that were rich and fertile yet dangerous. The book also argues that these remains do not just pose practical conservation problems but also philosophical dilemmas, compounded by the critical debate on if – and how – they should be displayed.
The lecture is on the 23rd March, free and via Zoom. For more info and to book, please go to –
https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-museum-and-art-gallery/whats-on/archaeology-online-bog-bodies-face-to-face-with-the-past/
Archaeology Online is a joint venture between BACAS, BAAS, BGAS and Bristol Museums.