Prehistoric bog man used hair 'gel'

LONDON - The preserved remains of two prehistoric men discovered in an Irish bog have revealed a couple of surprises - one used hair gel and the other stood 6 foot 6 inches high, the tallest Iron Age body discovered.

"He would have been a giant...the other man was quite short, about 5 foot 2 inches," said Ned Kelly, head of antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland.

"The shorter man appeared to attempt to give himself greater stature by a rather curious headdress which was a bit like a Mohican-style with the hair gel, which was a resin imported from France," Kelly told BBC radio.

Bacterial conditions found in the peat bogs preserved the remains so that even fingerprints were clearly visible.

The fashion-conscious gel wearer has been named Clonycavan Man and Kelly said the fact he was able to buy imported cosmetics suggests he was a wealthy member of Irish society about 2,300 years ago. The other was dubbed Oldcroghan Man.

Kelly said both men had murdered.

"Oldcroghan Man was stabbed through the chest. He saw that attack coming because there is a defensive injury on his arm."

He was then decapitated and his body cut in half while Clonycaven Man had his head split open with an axe before he was disembowelled.

- REUTERS