In a peatland in County Londonderry, ancient human remains were unearthed in 2023, believed to belong to a young woman who perished over two thousand years ago. Initially assumed to be the remains of a teenage boy when first discovered near Bellaghy, further investigation by experts from the Ulster Museum and various universities, including Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), led to new revelations about the body’s identity.
Dating back approximately 2000 years to the Iron Age between 343 to 1 BC, these remains are now identified as those of a young woman aged between 17 and 22, standing at about 5ft 6in tall. Dubbed the “Ballymacombs More Woman,” after the townland of their discovery, these findings have been deemed “very significant” by Niamh Baker, Curator of archaeology at National Museums NI (NMNI). Evidence of cut marks on the neck vertebrae suggested intentional decapitation at the bog site.
Professor Eileen Murphy from QUB evaluated the body, reflecting that the violent demise
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