The Osterby Man, also known as the Osterby Head, is a bog body of which only the skull and hair survived

The Osterby Man, also known as the Osterby Head, is a bog body of which only the skull and hair survived. This fascinating archaeological find was discovered in 1948 by peat cutters to the southeast of Osterby, Germany. The hair is tied in a Suebian knot, a hairstyle that was common among the Suebi tribe of Germany according to the Roman historian Tacitus. The head is currently housed at the State Archaeological Museum at Gottorf Castle in Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein.

The head was found approximately 65 to 70 centimetres beneath the current ground level, wrapped in fragments of a deerskin cape. Despite intensive searching, no more of the body has been found. The skull had been damaged by being struck with a blunt object before it was sunk in the bog. The acids in the bog have decalcified the bone, which has shrunk somewhat and is dark brown. The hair and small sections of scalp are well preserved, but the skin and other soft tissues of the face have disappeared.