Windeby I
Windeby I | |
|---|---|
Upper body of Windeby I | |
| Born | c. 1st century CE Region of present-day Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Died | c. 1st century CE Domsland Moor, Windeby, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Resting place | Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig-Holstein State Museum |
| Known for | Well preserved Iron Age bog body |
Windeby I is a remarkably well preserved bog body recovered in 1952 from the Domsland Moor, close to the village of Windeby near Eckernförde in northern Schleswig-Holstein. Scientific work on the remains shows that the body belonged to a female roughly 13 to 14 years old.
For many decades after the discovery, the body was widely described as the Girl of Windeby. Early attempts to determine sex relied on limited methods, and the objects found alongside were misunderstood, leading researchers to misgender the body. Later study overturned this interpretation and identified the remains as those of an adolescent male from the first century CE.
Windeby I is now one of the most familiar archaeological finds of its kind in Germany. Alongside other bog bodies, it is displayed in the permanent exhibition at Schloss Gottorf, where museum presentations explain how the acidic, oxygen-poor peat preserved skin, hair, and textiles in detail.