The Osterby Man

By Crusader1307

 An unusual archaeological find from 1948, the so named ‘’Osterby Man’’ was discovered by Farmers cutting Peat near Osterby, Germany. Finding a small hide sack in the Earth, inside was the skull of a Human Male. Judging from it’s age, it was determined by the finders not to have been a modern crime victim. What was most unusual, The Skull had it’s full scalp and hair still attached. No other soft tissue remained. Upon examination by Scientists, The Skull was determined to come from the 1st Century AD. It was also noted that on the right side of the hair, portions were braided into what is known as a Suebian Knot. This was a hairstyle prevalent with The Germanic Suebi Tribe. The Head (Skull) had been severed from it’s body (of which nothing was found upon later excavations). It is believed that, as was custom among The Suebi, older ‘’retired’’ Warriors were so ‘’dispatched’’ – so as to give them an ‘’honorable death’’. The remarkable preservation of the scalp and hair are given to being immersed in Peat (a heavy water composed mud filled with organic plant material). This caused an unusual preservation factor for the scalp and hair. It is odd that no other soft tissues were also preserved, as is common with other Human remains found in Peat Bogs (aka ‘’Bog Bodies’’). The Skull is currently on display in a Museum in Northeastern Germany.