Draft:Borum Eshøj Family

The Family from Borum Eshøj are a group of three mummies found in a barrow near Borum, Denmark. In 1871 parts of the mound were being removed and the first grave was found. In it lay the body of an elderly woman. During a more extensive excavation in 1875 two coffins were found containing the remains of two men. Encased in oak-wood coffins dating to the Bronze Age, they are believed to be a family unit. They are now housed in the National Museum of Denmark, alongside the coffins and artifacts buried with them.

Biography
The older woman appeared to have been between 50 and 60 years old when she died. The woman was relatively short and stocky; traces of muscles on her bones reveal that she did hard physical work. The woman's clothes are well preserved, blouse, hairnet, cap and two belts, all made from wool. Her wealth is reflected in the numerous pieces of bronze jewellery, which include a belt plate, two ornamental bronze plates or “tutuli”, a neck ring, arm rings, spiral finger rings and a clothes pin. The grave also contained pottery vessel, a wooden box, a bronze dagger and a horn comb. While today the woman does not have any hair remaining, during the excavation, her coffin was rummaged through by local farmers and all her hair fell out. Little is known about her hairstyle - all that remains is a drawing of a lock of her hair.

The older man reached the age of 50–60. The body was so well preserved that it had to be dismembered for transport to Copenhagen - the muscles still holding the skeleton together. He had well manicured nails, and a shaved face. He rested upon a cow skin and was covered with a woolen blanket. He was dressed in a hat with a round crown, a kidney-shaped wool cloak, a wool kilt, two foot woolen cloths and a belt. The only other object in the grave, was a wooden dress pin, which was attached to the cloak's collar. The discovery of wood chips show that the coffin in which he rested was carved from an oak trunk on the spot. The coffin is tree-ring dated to 1351 BC.

The grave of the younger man held a well preserved body at discovery. Muscles and other soft tissue connected the bones together. His hair is also preserved and in a 'pageboy' style. The young man was dressed in a cloak and kilt of woven wool and a leather belt. His grave goods include a bronze dagger in a sword scabbard of wood, a horn comb, a bark box, a bone needle and a  wooden double button. The oak coffin is tree-ring dated to 1345 BC.

The careful burial and artifacts left with them suggest the three mummies in Borum Eshøj were of a wealthy class.

Mummification
The bodies were sealed in oak coffins which were deposited in typical Nordic burial mounds. The local conditions, and the oak tannins allowed for moderate natural preservation of the bodies, in a similar fashion to bog mummies. Unfortunately, the excavation and transport of the mummies has caused this preservation to deteriorate over the years.

Studies


The excavation of Borum Eshøj in 1875 was done alongside a study of the mound. A schematic of the mound was created, alongside drawings of the three mummies in their coffins, the artifacts they were buried with, and the clothes they wore.

Dendrochronology study of the wood used for the coffins established that the oak for at least two of the three coffins provide dates 1351 - 1345 BC.

Additional
The Borum Eshøj barrow is the largest single find of this kind from Denmark.

Later studies found other human remains dating back to the late Bronze Age. One of which was buried in a similar manner to the classic mummies, higher up in the mound. Others were burned, with their ashes and artifacts being stored in urns and put in the mound.

A sword scabbard was found buried with the young man, but contained a dagger. Speculation is that the young man may have been cheated after death.