The Yde Girl

By Crusader1307

 Another fascinating archaeological artifact, ‘’Yde Girl’’ was discovered near The Netherland’s Village of Yde, in 1897. While cutting Peat, Farmers discovered the remains of a juvenile female, which – it would later be learned, died around the 5th Century BC to the 1st Century AD. Unfortunately, Farmer’s severely damaged the find, and coupled with lack of proper preservation techniques, little of the remains were viable. One factor noted (and preserved), was Yde Girl’s long and untouched Hair (which was Red in color). Even though the chemical reaction of the wet Peat caused an oxidation of natural color, ‘’She’’ was determined to have had Reddish Hair ‘’in Life’’.

Unlike most so named ‘’Bog Bodies’’ found in Europe, Yde Girl was determined to have not been the victim of sacrifice or related punishment. Thought to be around 16 years old when she died, Yde Girl shows no evidence of having been strangled or ritualistic (blade injuries). No apparent traces of poisoning can be found in the bodily remains. An injury to Her shoulder, similar to a stab wound is present, but further evidence shows it had healed at the time of Her death. Several pieces of clothing was found among other sparse Grave Goods. Due to the damage done to Yde Girl, She was preserved as best as possible. To aid in future examinations by 1992, Forensic Artists used the relatively modern method of reconstructing Yde Girls head using time consuming techniques reserved for crime cases in re-creating murder (using human skulls) victims for possible identification.  This way, Yde Girl can be ‘’appreciated’’ by others.