May 6, 1950

As Emil and Viggo Højgård were cutting peat from a bog in the Danish village of Tollund, one of their wives noticed a corpse in the earth, almost 2 meters down. Found in a fetal position and wearing only a belt and a sheepskin cap, the body appeared so fresh the Silkeborg police were notified, as it seemed the families stumbled upon a murder victim.

Fortunately the police had prior experience with bodies turning up nearby bogs and had the foresight to contact museum authorities. After careful investigation, the leather noose found around the corpse's neck affirmed this was indeed a homicide, but finding the culprit would be a challenge, as Carbon-14 datings showed the Tollund Man died during the early Iron Age, about 2,360 years ago.

The detailed close-up of the Tollund Man's head was taken by Sven Rosborn, and shows the effects of preservation caused by the acidic peat bog, to the extent of evidence he hadn't shaved on the day of his death.