The insects, the body and the bog

The discovery of a bog body at Tumbeagh Bog, Lemanaghan, Co. Offaly, afforded a
rare opportunity to examine well-preserved human remains and the environment in
which they were found. Samples for insect remains and pollen were taken from close
to the body. A column of insect samples from a peat section face near the body was
taken, after consultation with Dr Wil Casparie, in order to provide close correlation
between environmental proxies. Insects are useful environmental indicators. The
habitat-specific nature of many species of beetles (Coleoptera), in particular, can help
to determine the environmental conditions pertaining at the time of their deposition.
From the results outlined below, it is clear that their real value to this study lies in their
ability to provide a detailed picture of environmental change up to and including the
time of deposition of the body