ROMUArchaeologists are hopeful that DNA can be extracted from the bog body’s 5,000-year-old teeth While examining the site of a future housing development near Stenløse, Denmark, archaeologists came across 5,000-year-old human bones. Sunk into a former bog, archaeologists believe that this “bog body” may have been a victim of Neolithic human sacrifice “When we saw the bones, we thought we’re on to something really exciting,” Emil Winther Struve, a ROMU museum archeologist in Roskilde, said according to the Copenhagen Post “It was a pretty wild experience – it doesn’t happen very often that you find a bog body.” As Live Science reports the archaeologists were tasked with examining the site before the construction of a housing development Struve told the Copenhagen Post that he and his colleagues had joked about the possibility of finding a bog body and that another human skeleton was found in the area some 70 years ago the archaeologists uncovered what looked like a human femur the team also uncovered a lower jaw — with teeth still attached — more leg bones They also found several other items nearby which suggests that this bog body was a victim of human sacrifice ROMUThe remains of the 5,000-year-old bog body Though more research is needed to determine the gender and age of the victim archaeologists have hypothesized that they were likely sacrificed during the Neolithic or New Stone Age (10,000 B.C.E – 2,200 B.C.E) “That’s the early phase of the Danish Neolithic,” Struve explained to Live Science “We know that traditions of human sacrifices date back that far — we have other examples of it… In our area here It’s an ongoing tradition that goes back all the way to the Neolithic.” bogs and former bogs across Denmark have offered up ancient skeletons before some of which also appear to be victims of human sacrifice was discovered in Denmark in the 1940s and might be 10,000 years old was also found in Denmark in the 1950s and dates back to 400 B.C.E Tim Graham/Getty ImagesThe incredibly well-preserved features of the Tollund Man who is estimated to have died in 400 B.C.E Though some of the ancient remains found in bogs belonged to people who accidentally drowned researchers believe that many of them were sacrificed and then deliberately placed there people understood that bogs preserved human remains which made them seem like a place between life and death much about the bog body found near Stenløse remains a mystery Live Science reports that the team of archaeologists will briefly suspend their examination of the site for the winter and will return for further excavations next year once the ground has thawed they’re hoping to learn more about the bog body from the bones that they’ve already excavated Struve explained to Live Science that they may be able to determine the sex of the remains by examining the pelvis and more about the victim’s age by studying the wear on their teeth which could paint a picture of the bog body’s life “It is clear that when you stand with such a jaw from a person who lived in ancient times, you think about what kind of person it is,” Struve told TV 2 “and what kind of story lies behind how that person ended up in the bog.” the culture committee chairman in Egedal Municipality seconded Struve’s enthusiasm to learn more “I think it’s crazy exciting,” she exclaimed to TV 2 “I would like to have ten minutes with the victim and ask: Who were you After reading about the bog body found in Denmark that may have been a victim of human sacrifice, discover the story of the Llullaillaco Maiden, a 500-year-old victim of child sacrifice whose remains have been eerily well preserved. Or, learn about Moloch The archaeologists hope that wear on the teeth could indicate the person's age when they died and that the teeth themselves may contain ancient DNA The site near Stenløse was originally a bog A housing development is due to be built there next year Several animal bones found near the human remains indicate this was an area of the bog used for rituals Archaeologists from the ROMU museums supervised the digger making the initial test trench at the site near Stenløse A flint axe head found next to the human remains seems never to have been used; its in a style that dates to about 3600 B.C The bones of a possible ancient human sacrifice victim have been found in a bog in Denmark Archaeologists have discovered the ancient skeletal remains of a so-called bog body in Denmark near the remnants of a flint ax and animal bones clues that suggest this person was ritually sacrificed more than 5,000 years ago.  Little is known so far about the supposed victim including the person's sex and age at the time of death But the researchers think the body was deliberately placed in the bog during the Neolithic "That's the early phase of the Danish Neolithic," said excavation leader Emil Struve an archaeologist and curator at the ROMU museums in Roskilde "We know that traditions of human sacrifices date back that far — we have other examples of it." Dozens of so-called bog bodies have been found throughout northwestern Europe — particularly in Denmark where human sacrifices in bogs seem to have persisted for several thousand years Related: 7 famous mummies and secrets they've revealed about the ancient world we have several different bog bodies," Struve told Live Science "It's an ongoing tradition that goes back all the way to the Neolithic." The ROMU archaeological team found the latest set of bones in October ahead of the construction of a housing development had been a bog near the town of Stenløse on the large island of Zealand and just northwest of the Danish capital Copenhagen Danish law requires archaeologists to examine all land that's to be built on and the first bones of the Stenløse bog body were found during a test excavation at the site Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox The archaeologists will now fully excavate the site in the spring But the initial excavations have revealed leg bones a pelvis and part of a lower jaw with some teeth still attached The other parts of the body lay outside a protective layer of peat in the bog and were not preserved Struve hopes that the sex of the body can be determined based on the pelvis and that wear on the teeth may indicate the individual's age. In addition, the teeth could be sources of ancient DNA which might reveal even more about the person's identity Struve said the flint ax-head found near the body was not polished after it was made and may have never been used The oldest bog body in the world, known as Koelbjerg Man, was found in Denmark in the 1940s and may date to 10,000 years ago, while others date to the Iron Age in the region from about 2,500 years ago. One of the most famous and best preserved bog bodies is Tollund Man who was found on Denmark's Jutland Peninsula in 1950 and is thought to have been sacrificed in about 400 B.C —Scotland's 'bodies in the bog' traveled hundreds of miles to die in a toilet —Human 'bog bones' discovered at Stone Age campsite in Germany —Frozen mammoths, bog men and tar wolves: Here's how nature preserves prehistoric creatures A few of the bog bodies seem to have been accident victims who drowned after they fell in the water but archaeologists think most were killed deliberately perhaps as human sacrifices at times of famines or other disasters said ancient people were likely well aware that bogs could preserve bodies Live Science ContributorTom Metcalfe is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor who is based in London in the United Kingdom Hårby Valkyrie: A 1,200-year-old gold Viking Age woman sporting a sword Archaeologists discover hundreds of metal objects up to 3,400 years old on mysterious volcanic hilltop in Hungary Norwegian Defence Research EstablishmentBecause of low wave activity in Lake Mjøsa this ship has remained in near-perfect condition for as long as 700 years Mjøsa provides drinking water for 100,000 people across the country so when officials raised concerns about health risks due to the hundreds of tons of surplus World War II munitions that had been dumped into the lake researchers never dreamed of stumbling upon a pristine shipwreck from the Middle Ages this 33-foot vessel dates back as far as 700 years And because of low wave activity in Lake Mjøsa this ship has remained in near-perfect condition since the medieval period Discover the full story behind this historic find here While examining the site of a future housing development near Stenløse archaeologists came across 5,000-year-old human bones this “bog body” may have been a victim of Neolithic human sacrifice we thought we’re on to something really exciting,” said Emil Winther Struve Dig deeper in this report LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty ImagesOne of the two sarcophagi discovered beneath Notre Dame people across the world watched in horror as fire consumed the 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris But the tragedy has since produced unexpected archaeological delights While preparing for the site’s restoration experts came across two ancient sarcophagi — and one set of the remains has them scratching their heads The older of the two coffins appeared to contain a knight — his pelvic bones suggested he was an experienced horseman — who had a strangely elongated head Read on here.