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The discoveries and practices discussed challenge long-held assumptions about death rituals in prehistoric times. Historically, it was believed that mummification—and by extension, body preservation—was rare in prehistoric Britain and Western Europe. However, the evidence of composite skeletons and reburials suggests that these practices might have been more commonplace than previously acknowledged.
The Scottish bog bodies, in particular, have transformed archaeological understanding, indicating that ancient peoples possibly engaged in elaborate efforts to honor or symbolize relationships with ancestors, spirits, or deities through body manipulations.