The exhibition about the bog find The Dannike Woman focuses on life as a young commoner woman in the late 17th or early 18th century.
At some point around the turn of the century 1700, a young woman was buried in the Rydet bog in Dannike. In 1942, her grave was found during peat extraction. Her remains and belongings had been preserved in the bog. We do not know who the young woman was, or where she came from, but today she is known as the Dannike woman.
Due to the bog’s preservative properties, bog finds can reveal a lot about how people in the past lived. The find consists of a skeleton, remains of clothing, a pair of shoes, a knife, a clay pipe and tobacco tin, as well as some coins and buttons. The exhibition shows her remains along with most of these objects, as well as analyses of the find.
The Dannike woman was only in her 20s when she died, and something unusual must have happened since she was buried in a bog instead of in the cemetery. The exhibition presents a few likely explanations about what might have happened, according to the laws of the time, and people’s ideas about death.
But above all, it is an exhibition about life. The Dannike woman was most likely a commoner, so the exhibition tells the story of how a young commoner woman’s life might have been back then. Through themes such as work and family, church and folklore, feast and frivolties, we invite you to meet the Dannike woman as a person who once lived. The story is deepened through interviews with archaeologists, historians and other experts who talk about the latest research on the Dannike woman and her time.
In the exhibition, full texts are available in Swedish, English, German and Finnish.
Human remains are displayed in this exhibition. Borås Museum adheres to the Västra Götaland region’s principles regarding the handling of human remains.
Produced with support from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation.
