PreservationA bog body gets preserved when the bog is full of water which means it hold very little oxygen, and so the micro-organisms that cause decay cannot survive. The acidity of the bog also helps to prevent the development of the rot-causing micro-organisms. Sphagnum moss also contributes to the preservation process by extracting calcium from the bones, giving the micro-organisms less on which to feed on, it also leaves the bodies skin tanned an unnatural dark brown.
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Grauballe mans preservationGrauballe mans hair and fingernails remained intact, an examination of his hands and fingers showed that they were preserved o perfectly that finger prints could be taken. His body being a brown bronze colour from the way the earth has composition where he laid, he had undergone the process of conservation which appears to resemble the most closely tanning. This made his skin firm and resistant, but at the same time the bones have been subjected to a decalfication process which has left them soft and capable of being bent and flattened.
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