Old Croghan Man facts for kids

Old Croghan Man (Seanfhear Chruacháin in Irish) is a very old body found in an Irish bog in June 2003. He lived over 2,000 years ago during the Iron Age. People call him "Old Croghan Man" because he was found near Croghan Hill in County Offaly, Ireland. You can see his remains at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. He was found just a few months after another bog body, Clonycavan Man.

Who Was Old Croghan Man?

Old Croghan Man was very tall for his time. He stood about 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall. This was unusually tall for people living so long ago. His fingernails looked well-kept. This makes experts think he did not do hard manual work. It suggests he might have been an important person.

Scientists studied what he ate. His last meal included wheat and buttermilk. But for at least four months before he died, he ate a lot of meat. Scars on his lungs show he might have had a sickness called pleurisy.

How Did Old Croghan Man Die?

Experts believe Old Croghan Man died between 362 BC and 175 BC. This means his body is more than 2,000 years old. He was likely in his early twenties when he was killed.

He was found without clothes, except for a braided leather band on his left arm. This special arm-band probably showed that he was a person of high importance.

He was buried in a bog. This bog might have been a lake long ago. It was at the foot of an old hill used for important ceremonies for kings. A TV show in 2014 suggested that he might have been a king. Some people think he was sacrificed by druids. This might have happened because of bad weather or poor harvests. Ancient tribes may have believed the king was responsible for such problems.

The Arm-Ring Mystery

The arm-ring found with Old Croghan Man was special. It was made from wet leather, plant fibers, and four bronze pieces. Experts at the National Museum say the leather ring had two leather strips. These strips were joined together with many tiny cuts.

The arm-ring needed careful cleaning. First, they removed peat from the leather. To stop it from decaying or growing mold, they soaked it. They used a special liquid for two weeks. This process is called consolidation. After drying and more cleaning, the arm-ring was put back on the body for display.

Old Myths of Croghan Hill

Croghan Hill has an old name in Irish myths: Bri Eile. An old story called "The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn" tells us about it. It says there was a beautiful maiden named Ele in the fairy-knoll of Bri Eile. Many men from Ireland fought over her. Every year on Samhain, men would try to win her. Samhain was a time when fairy-mounds were open. During Samhain, nothing could be hidden in them. But for every man who tried to win Ele, one of his people was killed. No one ever found out who did it.

See also

In Spanish: Hombre de Croghan para niños