Sources
Primary Sources
1. Yde Girl
This is Yde girl’s actual body. It shows us how she looked when her body was found. You can also see the braid that was used to strangle her, her hair – coloured red by the bog chemicals, and her woolen cloak.
This is important as it shows how her body looked when it was found.
Tollund man was another bog body found in Europe, but his body was found in a peat bog in the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark in 1950. His body was very well preserved, and it was even thought to be the body of a recent murder victim. When the body was examined by archaeologists, they were even able to work out what his last meal was – porridge. Like Yde girl, he had a braided band around his neck, but it turned out that he was hanged, not strangled like Yde girl. He died in approximately 375-210 BC.
Tollund man’s discovery is important because it tells us more about the Celtic way of life, about their use of sacrifice, and that these things were common in different parts of Europe, and at different times.
1. Tollund Man
3. The Coligny Calendar
The Coligny Calendar was found in Coligny in France in 1897, the same year that Yde girl was found. It is a Celtic calendar and was used by the druids to keep time. The calendar is thought to have come from the end of the 2nd century AD. A French archaeologist thinks that it was used by the Celts when the Romans were trying to make then use their calendar.
This is important as it shows that the Celts were determined to keep their way of life even after being conquered by the Romans.
4. Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument found in England, and was thought to have been built somewhere between 2000 to 3000 BC. Archaeologosts think that it was a place that was used for religious ceremonies, and also as a way of keeping time and marking the seasons. It may have also allowed prediction of solar eclipses.
This is important, as it shows that thousands of years before Yde girl lived, the Celts were already proficient at astronomy.
5. Celtic Gold Bracelet
This is a Celtic gold bracelet that was found in Newark, Nottinghamshire in Engand. It is thought to have come from a Celtic prince, who would have lived between 100 – 50 BC. This bracelet shows how the Celts were able to mine gold, smelt it, and form beautiful pieces of jewelry, at the same time that Yde girl lived.
This is important because it shows us the skill of the Celts, and how artistic they were.
Secondary Sources
1. Yde Girl Reconstructed Head
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. The reconstruction shows us what Yde girl would have looked like, and also makes her seem real. By making her seem real, what happened to her (being sacrificed) is even more horrible.
The reconstruction made Yde girl famous as she became internationally known. Her body and the reconstructed head are in Drents Museum, in Assen, in the Netherlands.
2. Video about Prince's Burial Mound.
This is a video about the Royal burial mound in Magdalenberg in the Black Forest in Germany. The burial mound was made for a prince in 618 BC, but it was not just a grave, it was also a huge chronometer that measures time. The mound was built with wooden posts in it that were fixed into the ground to give bearings for the position of the moon. This allowed the seasons to be predicted each year.
The video is important because people thought that the Celts were not good at astronomy, and this proves them wrong. Yde girl lived after this time, and her tribe would have probably had the same knowledge.
: ‘the skin is blue-ish, the head almost complete but to the right cheek that has been hurt... the mouth open and the teeth visible. Long reddish hair on the left of the skull; the rightside seems smoothly shaven... Neck, shoulders upperbody (skin and bones only fit together well; also the arms are partly present. ...further ... a foot, the nails still on the toos; a hand, all fingers complete, the tumb still with nail. Also fished out of the bog: a hipbone, kneebone and some other bones... The foot and hand are small and the bones not coarse, wich makes me think it most be a woman. Other remains found were: a piece of worked textile... [and a] cloth or band... wrapped around the neck several times.’
(quote from Van der Sanden, 1994, page 30, translated by denblauwenswaen)
3. The letter from the Mayor of Vries about Yde girl
This is a letter that was written by the mayor of a village near Yde in 1897 after the discovery of Yde girl’s body in the local peat bog. The letter was to the museum in Assen where Yde girl was later taken, and describes what her body looked like when it was found. When the mayor returned to the bog later with someone from the museum, local people had already damaged the body, with parts such as the teeth and a knee bone missing. The hair was also pulled from her skull.
4. Atlas of the Celtic World
This is a book available to buy online about the ancient Celts. It has pictures and maps showing where the Celts lived, how far they extended across Europe, and talks about their battles.
Books like this inform people about the history of Yde girl’s civilization, and help them to understand what life was like in that time.
5. "Braveheart" Movie by Mel Gibson
This is a movie about William Wallace, a Scottish Celt who lived in 13th century Scotland. He led the Scots in the first war of Scottish independence against King Edward I of England. Although this is much later than when Yde girl lived, the movie shows how the Celts lived, and how fiercely they fought in battle. It also shows the warriors wearing Wode, the blue paint that they would put on before they went to fight.
Movies like this are important as they bring to Celtic history to life, and make it interesting for people today.