Bog Bodies and Sacrificial Theory

ABSTRACT Contemporary displays of bog bodies often focus on the scientific analysis of human remains and discussion of the results. One of the biggest challenges archaeologists and museum curators face is to account for the degree of violence that has often been perpetrated against the individual or individuals, whose remains survive as bog bodies. René Girard’s sacrificial theory may help to account for evidence of excessive violence or ‘overkill'. Girard did not discuss archaeology let alone bog bodies, but he draws upon a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, to investigate the phenomenon of scapegoating. Whilst the writer is cautious about presenting sacrificial theory as the only explanation for bog bodies, this paper will attempt to make the case for a more detailed consideration of Girard’s work in so far as it applies to bog bodies.