Upcoming Talk 14th November 2026

Rethinking bog bodies: new insights from ancient wetlands

Speaker: Dr Michelle Farrell (Coventry University) and Professor Henry Chapman (University of Birmingham

Murder victims, executed criminals, or human sacrifices? For more than two centuries, bog bodies have fascinated archaeologists and the public alike. Their extraordinary preservation allows us to come face-to-face with people who lived over 2,000 years ago, often revealing details of their final moments in astonishing detail. Yet despite decades of research, the reasons why they died and were placed in bogs remain hotly debated.In this talk, we present a fresh perspective on these famous discoveries. Rather than concentrating solely on the bodies, we investigate the bog landscapes into which they were deposited. Drawing on examples from Denmark and Britain, we reveal how these ancient environments can shed new light on some of archaeology's most enduring mysteries.

The talk starts at 10:30, Refreshments from 10:00, Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, 2nd Floor. Please join us if you can.