Archaeology Magazine - September/October 1991 - 169

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Semester in Greece
at the Athens Centre
Courses:
Archaeology,Classics,
Byzantine& Modern GreekStudies
Fieldtrips to Crete, Santorini,
Delphi,Mycenae,Epidaurus,Olympia
Opportunityto join field excavation
Information:
Dr.G.Warhaft, Semester in Greece,
Classics Dept, 128GoldwinSmith Hall,
CornellUniversity,Ithaca, NY14853
Tel.607-272-6918,Fax607-254-5000
Seeservicecard,p.68
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of carbon. Only three firms in the
world are using the new method.
"The results were most satisfacw
tory, says Magen Broshi, the curator of the Israel Museum's Shrine of
the Book, where many of the valuable scrolls are stored. "I think we
passed with flying colors."
The Zurich lab tested 14 manuscripts, including samples of scrolls
found at Masada, Qumran, the Bar
Kochba caves, and a medieval monastery. The margin of error for the
new dates ranges from 30 to 230
years, depending on the individuad
manuscripts, said Broshi.
Since 1948, nearly 1,200 scrolls
have been found in caves scattered
along the western cliffs of the Dead
Sea. Until now, scholars relied largely
on paleography, the study of ancient handwriting,
to determine
their date and origin.
The date and authenticity of the
scrolls have now been confirmed,
says Broshi, who adds that even the
diehards in the scientific community
who have suggested the scrolls were
of medieval date will have to give in.
- Rick Black, Jerusalem
Painted

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84 Archaeology

Ltò.

FROM PAGE 19

Bog

Men?

More human remains have been
found in the Cheshire peatbog that
contained the famous Lindow Man,
and analysis of a piece of skin suggests that at least one of the bodies
may have been painted. This discovery constitutes the first archaeological evidence to support claims
by Roman authors that the ancient
Britons painted themselves.
A small piece of skin from a shoulder, examined by a team led by Brian
Pyatt of Nottingham Polytechnic,
has been subjected to electron probe
X-ray microanalysis. In contrast
to the analysis of Lindow Man's
skin, a high level of copper ions was
discovered, together with a high
amount of aluminum.
The investigators believe that
these elements cannot be explained
as components of normal skin tissue
or as the consequence of ions moving in from the surrounding peat.

Instead, they think it is probable
that a foreign substance had been
applied to the skin surface, and
penetrated through the pores. The
copper, suggests a pigment.
The first gruesome find made by
the peatcutters of Lindow Moss in
Cheshire, England, came to light
in 1983 when a skull was recovered.
When the local press identified it as
a woman's skull, a man who lived
nearby confessed that he had murdered his wife some years before and
buried her dismembered remains in
the garden, which was adjacent to
Lindow Moss. He should have kept
quiet, since the head, known as Lindow I, was later dated and proved to
be at least 1,700 years old.
The major find, Lindow II, followed in 1984 when the well-known
head and torso of a young, bearded
man was recovered. Lindow II has
now been freeze-dried and is exhibited in the British Museum. Radiocarbon dating places him in the
Iron Age or, more likely, the early
Roman period.
In February 1987 another major
find was made in the bog, that of
most of an adult body from the neck
downward. Unfortunately, it suffered
badly from the peatcutting process
and had been mashed into numerous
fragments. Anatomical analysis,
while still at an early stage, indicates
that it was a male (the genitalia are
present) who was probably in his
early twenties. One anomaly on a
particularly well-preserved hand is
the presence of an additional undeveloped digit just below the thumb.
A large piece of gut has survived,
which should permit further analysis concerning food and parasites.
It is possible that this body in fact
belongs to the Lindow I head, which
would therefore not be female.
In June 1988 two human fragments - a left knee and a large piece
of skin- were found, followed in
September by a piece of thigh. The
skin comprises half of a right buttock, the whole of a left buttock, the
anus and possibly some pubic hair.
There is a possibility that these fragments, known as Lindow IV, belong
to the lower part of the famous Lindow II.- Paul G. Bahn

Archaeology Magazine - September/October 1991

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - September/October 1991