About the Blog

The Bog Body Resource aims to examine current and past bog body exhibits as well as scholarship surrounding their discovery, preservation treatments, and ongoing care. The resulting articles will be published in blog format to encourage transparency, accessibility, and to allow for ongoing additions and corrections as the conversation surrounding the display of these remains continues to evolve. The online format also lends itself well to examining these exhibits through a multimedia lens, allowing for pictures, video, audio, and external links to be incorporated alongside the text.

The ultimate goal of this project is to encourage an open, international dialogue on the ongoing care and display of bog-preserved remains by placing these displays in conversation with one another through an accessible medium. Many of these museums receive limited funding for updating their displays, and constructing the ideal exhibit is not always feasible. Ideally, a renewed interest in bog remains would both draw in new funding and encourage the reallocation of available funds to improve the care of the bog bodies in existing collections, where possible.

About the Author

The Bog Body Resource is the thesis project of Kristyn Rethaford-Miller, a master’s student in history and museum studies at University of New Hampshire. She graduated with her B.A. in literature from University of Redlands in 2018 with a minor in history. Her previous research has focused on the cultural history and epic literatures of Iron Age and early medieval Germanic Europe, with a particular interest in perspectives on death, heroism, and the afterlife.