El 15 de mayo de 1879, Niels Hanson, un trabajador de Ramten, Jutlandia, Dinamarca, estaba excavando turba en una turbera cercana a Ramten. Después de cavar un metro en la turba, descubrió el cuerpo de una mujer momificada de la Edad del Hierro. El cuerpo ganó fama como la “Mujer Huldremose” o también conocida como la “Mujer Huldre Fen”.

It is thought that the woman had died sometime between the years 160 BC and 340 AD, and it is ᴀssumed that she had a lifespan of at least 40 years, which was considered a lengthy life according to the standards of that period.

The Bioarchaeology of Huldremose Woman

The body was discovered with the legs bent behind the back and an almost completely severed right arm. It is believed that the arm had been injured before the person’s death. Other than that, the body remained in good condition.

She had fractured one of her legs, though it had fully mended prior to her demise. Cuts on one of her feet were initially believed to be wounds inflicted after her death, possibly caused by a shovel. However, further examination indicated that they actually occurred around the time of her pᴀssing.It was first thought that the cut of her arm had been the cause of her death, as a result of the loss of blood. Yet, after further investigation by forensic experts, it was found that the woman had been hanged or strangled, her hair being secured with a lengthy woolen rope, which was wound around her neck multiple times.

Clothing and textile analysis of the Huldremose Woman

In contrast, to many other bog bodies that are usually discovered without any clothing, the Huldremose Woman was found wearing clothes along with various accompanying accessories.

Remaining well-preserved and with its clothing intact, this bog body discovered over a century ago has still been able to provide us with a unique understanding of Iron Age fashion in Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

Her clothing has undergone extensive analysis by scientists at the Danish National Research Foundation’s Center of Textile Research and the National Museum of Denmark.

She had a unique ensemble on, consisting of a woolen skirt held up with a thin leather belt embedded in a woven belt, a woolen scarf, reaching 139-144 cm in length and 49 cm in width, tied around her neck and fastened with a bird bone pin under her left arm and two animal hide capes.

Huldremose woman wore several layered sheepskin capes with the woolly sides turned outward. The fur capes that wrapped her were crafted from the hide of 14 sheep. It appears the sewn-in items were likely used as amulets. Her ensemble was not only of great quality, but also had a variety of colors. Color analysis by scientists at the National Museum of Denmark revealed that the color of the skirt was originally a blue or purple plaid, while the scarf was a red plaid.

Las impresiones en la piel de la Mujer Huldremose y la presencia de algunas fibras parcialmente arruinadas indican que probablemente llevaba una prenda interior blanca hecha de fibras vegetales debajo de sus ropas de lana. Esta prenda interior se extendía desde sus hombros hasta debajo de sus rodillas. Aunque no se sabe qué fibra vegetal se utilizó, pistas de esa época sugieren que podría haber sido ortiga. Además, se descubrió un peine de cuerno, una correa de cuero y una diadema de lana en lo que parece ser un bolsillo hecho con una vejiga, situado en la capa interior.

La última comida de la mujer Huldremose En 1990 se realizó un nuevo examen no invasivo del cuerpo y en 1999 se realizó un estudio para analizar la dieta de la persona. Las radiografías revelaron la presencia de barba incipiente en el cuero cabelludo y restos del cerebro dentro del cráneo. Los huesos, como muchos otros cuerpos de pantano, estaban desmineralizados. El análisis dietético implicó estudiar dos muestras del contenido del estómago, lo que indicó que la última comida de la mujer había sido pan de centeno.

La momia de la Mujer Huldremose, con su elaborada vestimenta, se puede ver en el Museo Nacional de Dinamarca. El atuendo reconstruido también se ha presentado en otros museos.