9th April 2008
The Manchester Museum will host a new exhibition called ‘Lindow Man: A Bog Body Mystery’, telling the story of the well known Lindow Man as he returns to his native Manchester thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant. The £43,700 grant will allow his body, on long term loan from the British Museum through their Partnership UK scheme, to be displayed in this special year-long exhibition.
The body, originally found in Lindow Moss (near Cheshire) back in 1984, was one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 1980s. He was discovered after 2,000 years and dates back from between 2 BCE and 119 CE. Evidence suggested he suffered a ‘triple death’, as remains of a knotted cord were wrung around his neck, his throat was slit and major blows to his skull as he was found was left face down in a pool until finally discovered.
Sara Hilton, Regional Manager for the North West said “Bringing the Lindow Man back home will allow many people to learn about their own past on their own doorstep. This unique find gives us a really exciting insight into parts of history that were otherwise buried in the mists of time. Our grant will open up the stories behind the finds and bring back a very important part of history which now can be brought to life for the public.”
The well preserved prehistoric bog body has been essential for researchers, scientists and archaeologists in providing an insight into the Iron Age and the rituals from this fascinating era.
A cutting edge exhibition will display the body of Lindow Man, along with providing creative events, public talks, speeches and educational tours which will investigate one of the most unique discoveries of the North West. It will allow visitors to explore forensic remains with rare historic artefacts with audio recordings to engage local people to rediscover their own heritage.
The grant award is now the sixth award to The Manchester Museum which brings the total funding to the Museum to £12,317,500. HLF have awarded £77,166,453 to a total of 224 projects in Manchester overall.
Bryan Sitch, Head of Human Cultures at The Manchester Museum expressed his enthusiasm; “There are few moments in life when you can look into the face of someone who lived 2000 years ago and ask questions about them. This exhibition offers us a unique opportunity to do just that. We have used many objects to illustrate Lindow Man’s story, some of them like the Iron Age shield boss from Wandsworth have obvious links, others like a Care Bear and crow feathers are more surprising. Each of them shows us what Lindow Man means to people today.”
Tony Lloyd, MP for Manchester Central commentated: “‘I am truly delighted by this fantastic news. Through the HLF we will be able to bring a well know myth and treasure back to its original roots, right here in the North West. It will open up so many learning opportunities for young and old about the Iron Age and put the North West on the map. I am sure this will be a very popular exhibition that will allow the people of this region to be proud of their own cultural heritage which, frankly, they cannot access very easily away from the North West of England.’
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Notes to editors:
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation's heritage for everyone to enjoy. We have awarded grants totalling more than £4 billion to more than 26,000 projects.