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How long would a pickled body stay identifiable?
Good question. Will ask my boss.
I've met this one, well pressed my face against his glass for a good hour or two. He's from 300 BC or so. He still has his eyelashes. Even this picture doesn't do the preservation justice. It looks like he fell asleep, save the rope on his neck.
Wow, what the heck this looks better preserved than most mummies i ever saw.
Was this a natural accidental pickle process or an intentional practice?
I want to be pickled after death now.
Natural, he was possibly sacrificed, maybe murdered. Either way, an unpleasant time.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tollund_Man
This is a great read, don't be intimidated. It's by one of the Time Team guys.
I'm sure it was accidental at first, but eventually they found out bogs were great at preserving things. There are plenty of records of people putting food in bogs to preserve them.
Didn't someone find perfectly good butter in a bog from a few hundred years ago?
Would you eat toast that had been buttered with the bog butter?
Honestly, depends on the smell. But I'd probably try a bite
I'd probably take a bite a day after they took a bite
More on preservation in bogs here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/19/science/archaeology-britain-must-farm.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/20/europe/must-farm-bronze-age-britain-pompeii-scn/index.html
The full site report can be found here, lots of pics. Scroll to bottom for pdfs.
I was reading the wiki for Tollund man yesterday, and I believe they actually took a fingerprint from him.
That's pretty identifiable, I think
Who is he and where can I learn more
Check out the article I linked above too.
Having thought a little more, the body would likely stay pickled in perpetuity as long as conditions are stable. I do not know what these thresholds are for bodies, though.