Stoneyisland Man
Encyclopedia
Stoneyisland Man, Bog body
discovered in Stoneyisland Bog, Gortanumera, County Galway
, 13 May 1929.
Turf
-cutters James Dolphin, Thomas Rodgers and John Spain uncovered a human skeleton while working on Dolphin's bank, located towards the centre of Stoneyisland Bog. It was first thought to be the remains of a Mr. Ward of Ballyshrule who had been missing for some time, but it was later revealed to be over five thousand years old.
"It was found lying on its back within a few inches of the marl
, at the base of the bog, beneath 10ft of uncut turf. The skeleton was intact with the arms outstretched at right angles to the body. No implements were found with the skeleton, but Mr. Dolphin said at the time that the had previously found tree stumps and ashes at higher depths in the bog. He also claimed to have found a dugout canoe at a depth of 5ft, while cutting turf in another part of the bog on a previous occasion. .... A Mr. T. Shea, who was in charge of a section fo the Ordnance Survey
, operating in the district at the time, examined the remains. He excavated the skeleton and had it examined by Professor Shea of the Anatomical Museum, University College, Galway." (1998, p. 3)
Professor Shea's conclusions were that the bodey had not sunk slowly down from an originally higher level in the bog, but was lying in the position and at the level where it originally lay. He believed that the outstreched arms indicated that the person had drowned, sank to the bottom of what was then a lake, and the bog grew over it.
His further conclusions were that the body was of a man, aged about forty, five foot two in height. The lower jaw and teeth, and a large number of the limbs bones were peculiar to prehistoric skeletons in Western Europe. The perio of the skeleton was further determined by the degree of flattening of some of the arm and leg bones .... characteristic of skeletons of Neolithic
man.
Pollen and peat analysis dated the remains to sometime after 4500 BC. Several radiocarbon dating
s dated the remains between 3320–3220 BC.
Bog body
Bog bodies, which are also known as bog people, are the naturally preserved human corpses found in the sphagnum bogs in Northern Europe. Unlike most ancient human remains, bog bodies have retained their skin and internal organs due to the unusual conditions of the surrounding area...
discovered in Stoneyisland Bog, Gortanumera, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, 13 May 1929.
Turf
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
-cutters James Dolphin, Thomas Rodgers and John Spain uncovered a human skeleton while working on Dolphin's bank, located towards the centre of Stoneyisland Bog. It was first thought to be the remains of a Mr. Ward of Ballyshrule who had been missing for some time, but it was later revealed to be over five thousand years old.
"It was found lying on its back within a few inches of the marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
, at the base of the bog, beneath 10ft of uncut turf. The skeleton was intact with the arms outstretched at right angles to the body. No implements were found with the skeleton, but Mr. Dolphin said at the time that the had previously found tree stumps and ashes at higher depths in the bog. He also claimed to have found a dugout canoe at a depth of 5ft, while cutting turf in another part of the bog on a previous occasion. .... A Mr. T. Shea, who was in charge of a section fo the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
, operating in the district at the time, examined the remains. He excavated the skeleton and had it examined by Professor Shea of the Anatomical Museum, University College, Galway." (1998, p. 3)
Professor Shea's conclusions were that the bodey had not sunk slowly down from an originally higher level in the bog, but was lying in the position and at the level where it originally lay. He believed that the outstreched arms indicated that the person had drowned, sank to the bottom of what was then a lake, and the bog grew over it.
His further conclusions were that the body was of a man, aged about forty, five foot two in height. The lower jaw and teeth, and a large number of the limbs bones were peculiar to prehistoric skeletons in Western Europe. The perio of the skeleton was further determined by the degree of flattening of some of the arm and leg bones .... characteristic of skeletons of Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
man.
Pollen and peat analysis dated the remains to sometime after 4500 BC. Several radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
s dated the remains between 3320–3220 BC.