Ancient Bodies, Modern Ideologies: Bog Bodies and Identity in Denmark and Ireland

Abstract

As the forces of globalization continue to move people, commodities, and ideas across national borders, the concept of national identity becomes fraught, with long-held assumptions regarding “belonging” and “not belonging” due to ethnic or cultural group membership called into question. In many nations, human remains of ancient people are often pulled into the debates, as their very bodies become symbols and evidence of long-standing identities linked to the respective lands. In Denmark and Ireland, the well-known bog bodies found within modern national boundaries have played and continue to play prominent roles in national and popular narratives of national identity, belonging, and self-conception. Whether the bodies are made to play parts in narratives supporting or debunking ideologies of inclusion, exclusion, xenophobia, or tolerance, and whatever personage the bodies embody in telling the history of each country, the practice raises questions regarding the ethics of using ancient people to “speak” for ideologies with which they would have had no contact in life.