Weerdinge Men


The Weerdinge men were two naked bog bodies found in Drenthe, the Netherlands, in the southern part of Bourtanger Moor in 1904. Radiocarbon dating shows that the two likely died between 160 BC and 220 AD. At first, it was believed that one of the two bodies was female, which led to the name "Weerdinge couple", or, more popular, "Mr. and Mrs. Veenstra", veen being the Dutch term for bog and "Veenstra" being a very common Dutch surname.

Pathology

The more complete Weerdinge man had a large wound on his chest, through which his intestines spilled out. Some observers believe that this points to a ritualistic purpose for the killing. Strabo, a Roman historian, recounts tales of Iron Age Europeans attempting to divine the future by "reading entrails." The cause of death of the other Weerdinge Man is unknown.