Archaeologists found the remains of a young woman believed to have lived over 2,000 years ago during the Iron Age in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The remains, now named the Ballymacombs More Woman, were found in peatland near Bellaghy and are thought to date between 343 BCE and 1 BCE, according to The Irish Times.
Eileen Murphy, professor of archaeology at Queen's University Belfast, led an assessment of the body, providing a biological profile and determining the cause of death. "As is the case for so many Iron Age bog bodies, the young woman suffered a highly violent death, which involved the flow of blood from her throat followed by decapitation," said Murphy, according to The Irish Independent. "The head was taken away, but the body was left where it fell only to be discovered by machine workers some 2,000 years later," she added.
Research found that cut marks on the neck vertebrae indicate the cause of death as an intentional decapitation in the bog. "Perhaps it is part of a pattern of ritual killings and sacrifice... there is a pattern of that across North-West Europe and Ireland," said Niamh Baker, curator of archaeology at National Museums NI, according to BBC News.
Initially, researchers believed they had found the remains of a boy aged between 13 and 17. However, osteoarchaeological analysis revealed the body to be female, estimated to be between 17 and 22 years old at the time of her death, with an estimated height of around 5 feet 6 inches (1.7 meters). "It is all the more significant as the majority of bog-preserved individuals that have been found from this period are male," noted Murphy, according to The Irish Examiner.
A piece of woven fabric made of plant material was recovered from below the knees of the Ballymacombs More Woman. This item may be associated with the individual and potentially dates to the same period.
The remains were transferred from the State Pathology Laboratory to National Museums NI. "Further scientific analysis will no doubt yield more fascinating findings," said Murphy, according to The Irish Examiner.
The study of the remains was led by National Museums NI and involved collaboration with organizations across the UK, Ireland, and Europe, including Queen's University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University of Copenhagen, University of Glasgow, and University of Bradford.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq