Lindow Man
- Audio guide stop: 444
- Gallery: Room 50
- Culture: Iron Age; Romano-British
- Date: 2 BC - 119 (circa)
- Object type: bog body, arm-band, garotte
- Materials: human tissue; human hair; human skin; human bone; fur; animal tissue
- Museum number: 1984,1002.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is Lindow Man, also known as Lindow II. This is a remarkably well-preserved Iron Age bog body discovered in a peat bog in Greater Manchester in 1984. You are looking at the upper half of a young man’s body—about 25 years old. His hair and skin have been preserved thanks to the unique conditions of the bog.
Lindow Man was found wearing a fur armband on his left arm and a twisted sinew around his neck, possibly used as a garrote. He also had a missing right leg, which was recovered nearby.
The acidic, waterlogged, and cold conditions of the bog helped to preserve his body, turning his skin and hair into leather-like tissue. Scientific techniques such as radiocarbon dating placed his death between 2 BC and AD 119. Whether murdered, executed, or sacrificed remains a mystery.
Lindow Man's discovery helped scientists better understand how bodies can be preserved for thousands of years in natural environments. His story continues to fascinate visitors and researchers alike.
See it in person
Lindow Man is on display in Room 50 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 444, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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