Windeby I is a very well-preserved bog body discovered in 1952 in the Domsland Moor, near the village of Windeby, close to Eckernförde in northern Schleswig-Holstein. Scientists studied the remains and found that the body belonged to a female about 13 to 14 years old.

For many years after its discovery, the body was often called the "Girl of Windeby." Early methods used to determine the person's sex were limited, and items found with the body were misunderstood, leading researchers to incorrectly believe the body was female. Later studies corrected this mistake and identified the remains as those of an adolescent male who lived during the first century CE.

Windeby I is now one of the most well-known archaeological finds in Germany. It is displayed with other bog bodies in the permanent exhibition at Schloss Gottorf. The museum explains how the acidic and low-in-oxygen peat preserved the skin, hair, and textiles in great detail.

Discovery

The body now known as Windeby I was discovered on 19 May 1952 by workers cutting peat in the Domsland Moor on the Windeby estate near Schleswig in northern Schleswig-Holstein. One worker saw what looked like a human femur in a freshly cut block of peat. The team stopped work and turned off the machinery to examine the find.

By the time the body was identified, the peat-cutting equipment had already removed a hand, a foot, and part of a leg. This damage is still visible on the bog body today. Once the remains were confirmed to be human, the workers searched the area for more pieces and told the archaeological museum in Schleswig. Museum staff recorded the discovery, removed the body in one block of peat, and sent it to the Schleswig-Holstein State Museum at Schloss Gottorf for careful study and preservation.

A second bog body, later named Windeby II, was found about 4.6 to 4.9 meters (15 to 16 feet) away. This person, an adult male, had been strangled with a hazel branch and held down with wooden stakes.

The close distance between the two bodies, along with later readings of Tacitus and his descriptions of punishments and ritual killings among Germanic peoples, led early researchers to suggest that an illicit couple had been executed and placed in the bog. Later studies of the grave, the body, and related items have questioned this idea. However, this interpretation remains an important part of the reception history of the bog body.

Condition

When Windeby I was discovered in the peat, the body was lying on its right side in a shallow pit about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide. The head faced west, and a wool band had slipped over the eyes. Early writers thought this was a blindfold, but later studies showed it was originally a hairband that moved as the body shrank during preservation.

The head and hands were the most well-preserved parts. The hair, which was originally light blond, had turned reddish due to acids in the bog. The left side of the scalp appeared to be cut very short, but this was later found to be caused by decay or damage during excavation, not an intentional haircut. The facial tissues were so well preserved that when the skull was opened during conservation, the folds of the brain were still visible.

The torso was in worse condition. The chest and stomach had collapsed, exposing the ribs where the skin and soft tissues had decayed. No internal organs remained. The right arm was bent toward the face, the left arm was angled toward the hip, and the legs were slightly bent. Despite the damage, the body's position suggested it had not been moved violently after death.

The body was placed on a bed of heather and covered with layers of cotton grass. A fur cloak still wrapped the upper body when it was first examined, and nearby were pieces of a ceramic container and fabric. These details suggest the person was intentionally placed in the bog with care, similar to burial practices found at other bog body sites in northern Europe.

The bones were weakened, but X-rays showed signs of repeated childhood malnutrition. Tests for parasites found the hair had very few head lice, which is unusual for the Iron Age. It is unclear if this reflects the person's life or the conditions of preservation.

Together, the preserved hair, wool band, clothing, plant layers, and items found with the body show that Windeby I was deliberately placed in the bog. These details question earlier ideas that the person was a punished adulteress or ritual victim and instead support the view that the burial followed Iron Age traditions.

Cause of death

Experts from different fields studied the remains and did not find clear signs of a violent death. The soft tissues, including the neck area, show no marks from strangulation, cutting, or binding. The bones also do not have signs of injuries that happened before death. Instead, medical and expert analysis suggest the boy had a serious infection in his jaw. This infection likely caused severe pain, swelling, and stress throughout the body, and is considered the most likely cause of death.