Burlage peat dog

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The Burlage peat dog († between 1477 and 1611 ) is a historical, almost completely preserved body of a house dog that was found in 1953 in Klostermoor II in the Rhauderfehner district of Burlage in the district of Leer . It is one of the few, almost completely preserved animal finds from a bog . Unlike human bog bodies , most were finds of animal remains rarely special attention, they rarely recovered or that were documented.

Finding circumstances

The peat dog was dug up in the black peat about 60 to 80 cm below the surface by the peat cutter Hermann Albers in May 1953 and later sunk again in the wet peat. The news about the find reached the Papenburg Institute for Moor Research via the Bockhorst teacher Lohr , which in turn informed the Geological-Paleontological Museum in Münster . On June 8, 1953, the dog was found by Franz Lotze and brought to Münster. From 2008 to 2013, the peat dog was shown at the touring exhibition Mummies - The Dream of Eternal Life , designed by the Mannheim Reiss-Engelhorn Museum . Location: 53 ° 2 ′ 53 ″  N , 7 ° 33 ′ 25 ″  E Coordinates: 53 ° 2 ′ 53 ″  N , 7 ° 33 ′ 25 ″  E

Findings

The dog's body is almost completely preserved, only parts of the head and the lower extremities are missing. All that remains of the animal's head is the bare skull bone with a few teeth in the upper jaw. The missing parts are probably due to the improper recovery and storage of the find after it was found. X-ray and computed tomography findings showed that the existing bones of the skeleton have largely been preserved. Due to the action of the moor acids , the fat and muscle tissue are largely gone. In contrast, most of the bones , ligaments , skin and fur are in good condition. However, some bones, such as the vertebrae and ribs, have passed away due to the action of the moor acid, or loosened from their composite and deformed. The animal's body is somewhat flattened due to the past soft tissue and the pressure of the layers of peat above it. The dog's coat, which is still shiny, is in extremely good condition. The upper hair is smooth, about 5 to 7 cm in length and looks quite coarse compared to the very fine under hair. Due to the long storage in the bog, it has a reddish dark brown color and a light brown to beige color on the chest. Franz Lotze stated the length of the dog as 62 cm, according to Markus Bertling the dog had an estimated length of around 70 cm and a shoulder height of a maximum of 40 cm. The age of the dog is given as juvenile to young adult , its sex could not be determined with certainty , even after current computer tomographic examinations.

The Burlage peat dog is described by Lotze and Bertling as a prehistoric peat dog or peat spitz ( Canis palustris , Canis familiaris palustris Rütimeyer ); it is similar to the Spitz breed , but has a significantly longer, more elongated physique, a smaller head and compared to today's animals a coarse fur.

Due to the pollen analysis dating of the peat profile from the find layer carried out in the 1950s, a time of death around 1200 BC was assumed for many years. However, this dating is now considered refuted. Based on a 14 C dating carried out in 2010 , it was concluded that the dog died between 1477 and 1611 AD (1544 ± 67 years AD).

literature

  • Markus Bertling: Burlage's peat dog . In: Alfried Wieczorek (Ed.): Mumien. The dream of eternal life . Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2007, ISBN 978-3-8053-3779-3 , p. 304–305 (volume accompanying the special exhibition "Mummies - The Dream of Eternal Life").
  • Markus Bertling, Heather Gill-Ferking, Wilfried Rosendahl: The Bog Dog from Burlage . In: Alfried Wieczorek, Wilfried Rosendahl (eds.): Mummies of the world . Prestel, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-7913-5030-1 , pp. 298-299 (English).
  • Franz Lotze : Preliminary information about a moor dog find near Papenburg ad Ems . In: Franz Lotze (Hrsg.): New year book for geology and palaeontology / monthly books . 1955, ISSN  0028-3630 , p. 137-138 (first publication).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Burlage district referenced, the exact location cannot be determined from the literature.
  2. ^ A b c Markus Bertling, Heather Gill-Ferking, Wilfried Rosendahl: The Bog Dog from Burlage . In: Alfried Wieczorek, Wilfried Rosendahl (eds.): Mummies of the world . Prestel, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-7913-5030-1 , pp. 298-299 (English).
  3. ^ A b Franz Lotze : Preliminary information about a moor dog find near Papenburg ad Ems . In: Franz Lotze (Hrsg.): New year book for geology and palaeontology / monthly books . 1955, ISSN  0028-3630 , p. 137-138 .
  4. ↑ a b Markus Bertling: The peat dog from Burlage . In: Alfried Wieczorek (Ed.): Mumien. The dream of eternal life . Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2007, ISBN 978-3-8053-3779-3 , p. 304–305 (volume accompanying the special exhibition "Mummies - The Dream of Eternal Life").

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