Who
Who was your mummy?
Yde girl was a 16-year-old girl whose body was discovered in the Stijfveen peat bog near the village of Yde in the province of Drenthe, in the Netherlands. Her hair was long, about 21cm and red in colour, but scientists feel that this was caused by the chemicals in the bog, and that her hair colour was originally blonde. She was about 1.4m tall. Yde girl had scoliosis which is where the spine is curved the wrong way. This caused her to place a lot of her body weight on one side, and scans showed that her right foot was swollen probably because of this. Her age was determined by the lack of wisdom teeth when she was scanned, meaning she died before they appeared.
Who were their family?
There was no evidence to show any information about Yde girl’s family.
Who was their king/ruler?
There was no information about Yde girl’s tribe or ruler.
Who discovered your mummy?
In 1897, two peat diggers working in a small peat bog near the village of Yde found a black head with red hair. At first, they tried to hide the body under some turf, but then three days later the hidden body was discovered and news spread around the village.
Who studied your mummy?
The body of Yde girl was taken to the provincial museum in Assen, and Dr Willem Pleyte, an archaeologist from Rijksmuseum in Leiden was the first to study her. He wanted the mummy to go to the museum in Leiden, but the museum in Assen wanted to keep the body there.
Who is the expert for your mummy?
In 1992, Richard Neave, an expert in anatomical art and forensic facial reconstruction, created a reconstruction of Yde girl’s head using plastic surgery techniques and forensic pathology. Yde girl then became internationally known. Her body and the reconstructed head are in Drents Museum, in Assen, in the Netherlands.
What
What was discovered with your mummy?
Yde girl was covered in a large woolen cloak that was found with the body. Wrapped around her neck three times was was a braided band of material, which may have been used to strangle her. In 1955, her body was examined and pollen was found underneath her foot, and this was dated to about 200 and 500 AD.
What have we learned about;
Their death?
Celts sacrificed humans to their Gods. Often, disabled people were chosen to be sacrificed. As Yde girl had scoliosis and walked with a funny gait, she may have been chosen because she might not have been of much use to the tribe. She was strangled with a woolen band, and also stabbed in the collarbone area, which cut her carotid artery. The cut is still able to be seen. She probably died very quickly.
Yde girl’s body was then thrown into the bog.
Mummification?
Yde girl’s body was thrown into a bog, where the lack of oxygen prevented bacteria from breaking down the tissue. The Tannic acid in the marsh also helped to preserve the body.
Their burial customs?
Yde girl was not buried. She was sacrificed and her body thrown into a bog.
Their clothing/artifacts?
The woolen cloak and braid around her neck show that the Celts used wool from sheep, spun it and made clothing out of the wool by weaving the spun thread. There was no artifacts or jewelry found with Yde girl.
What was important about your mummy’s discovery?
She became internationally known because her head was a reconstructed, and this shows us what she would have been like.
When
When was your mummy born?
By using Carbon-14 dating, Yde girl was found to have lived between 54 BC and 128 CE. There is no record of her birth.
During which era did they live?
Yde girl lived in the Pre-Christian Celtic era, which was before Rome conquered the Celts.
When did your mummy die?
Yde girl died between 54 BC and 128 CE.
When was your mummy mummified?
When she was thrown into the bog. Over time she became mummified due to the bog preserving her body.
When was your mummy discovered?
May 12th, 1897.
What were some important dates for your mummy’s civilization?
Where
Where was your mummy born?
There is no information about where Yde girl was born, but it can be assumed that she was born somewhere near Yde in the Netherlands, where her body was found.
Where is your mummy’s civilization located?
The Celtic civilization lived in Europe and eventually spread to England, Ireland and Scotland.
Where did your mummy die?
Yde, in the province of Drenthe in the Netherlands.
Where was your mummy mummified?
She was mummified in the Stijfveen peat bog near the Yde village in the Netherlands.
Where was your mummy discovered?
In the Stijfveen peat bog near the Yde village in the Netherlands.
What were some important areas from your mummy’s civilization?
Wiltshire in England, where Stonehenge is located. Coligny in France is another important area, as this is where the Coligny calendar was found. Also, the Royal burial mound in Magdalenberg in the Black Forest in Germany.
Why
Why is your mummy important?
Yde girl was an important discovery because she was a well-preserved example of human sacrifice by the Celts, with the injuries she experienced still able to be seen.
Why is their civilisation important?
Because the Celtic civilisation still exists in Europe today in England, Ireland and Scotland, with further generations having gone to other countries including America and Australia. The Celts learned the art of metal forging, settled Europe and even invented soap.
Why are they interesting?
Because they were considered barbarians, but actually were very civilised, with great knowledge about astronomy. They were wild and fearsome, and very brave. The Celts also treated women as equals, which is unusual for that time.
Why is there such fascination with mummies?
Mummies are fascinating because they are real. They lived so long ago, but their body still remains.
Why were they mummified?
Yde girl was only mummified because she was thrown into a bog. It was accidental.
How
How was your mummy killed?
She was strangled and stabbed.
How was your mummy mummified?
Yde girl’s body was thrown into a bog, where the lack of oxygen prevented bacteria from breaking down the tissue. The Tannic acid in the marsh also helped to preserve the body.
How was your mummy discovered?
In 1897, two peat diggers working in a small peat bog near the village of Yde found a black head with red hair.
How has your mummy contributed to history/science?
She increased the world’s knowledge about bog bodies.
How has your mummy been remembered?
Yde girl is now in Drents Museum in Assen, in the Netherlands, as well as other bog bodies. The museum has the largest collection of bog bodies in the world. A sign at the location of the discovery of her body tells her story.
Timeline of the Celts
900 BC
Celitc migration begins in Europe. Celts land in Scotland.
800 BC – 600 BC
The Hallstatt Celts settle in Europe. The Iron Age begins.
600 BC
The Celts settle Iberia.
500 BC to 450 BC
Hallstatt Celtic kingdom collapses.
400 BC
Celts settle in many European countries including the Netherlands.
390 BC
Rome sacked and plundered by Brennus, chief of the Senones. The Romans agreed to pay Brennus 1000 pounds of gold, but when they argued, Brennus threw his sword on the scales to add weight to the scales and said “Vae victis!” which means “Woe to the vanquished”.
335 BC
Celts move into the Balkans. Alexander the Great negotiated with the Celts living near the Adriatic. Alexander was afraid of the Celts fearsome reputation.
323 BC
Alexander dies, the Celts invade Greece.
323 BC
The Celts invent chainmail and helmets, later used by the Romans.
224 BC
Rome begin to extend their empire into Gaul.
224 BC
Rome conquers the Celts, killing 1 million Celtic warriors.
200 BC
Iron manufacturing increases for the Celts. Weapons and agricultural items are made.
191 BC
Gaul is taken by the Romans
58 BC
Julius Caesar attacks the Celts in the Gallic Wars. His main reason to conquer the Gauls was to get his hands on the Celtic gold.
55 BC
Caesar invades Britain
52 BC
Vercingetorix led an uprising against Caesar and the Romans. Caesar defeated his armies and took Vercingetorix hostage.
46 BC
Vercingetorix executed in Rome
0
Birth of Jesus Christ
33 AD
Crucifixion of Christ
43 AD
Claudius, Emperor of Rome defeats the Celts in Britain.
60 AD
Boudicca, Queen of the British Iceni tribe, leads a battle against the Romans. Boudicca is defeated. She commits suicide rather than be captured.
61 AD onwards
Celts start to assimilate with Romans. In 476 AD, the Roman Empire collapses. Celtic culture and language remains in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Bigraphy of Yde Girl
Brennus throwing his sword on the scales
A large woolen cloak, a woolen braid and hair were found with Yde girl.
Celtic Migration through Europe.
The Celts invented chainmail.
Vercingetorix surrenders to Casear
Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni tribe
Scottish Celts today
The city of Assen in the province of Drenthe, the Netherlands, where Yde Girl's body is on display in the Drents Museum.
The body of Yde Girl showing the woolen braid used to strangle her
The sign showing the place where Yde Girl was found near Yde, the Netherlands