"Bog Butter"

April 5th, 2012 

 “Bog Butter” is a term that is used when referring to an ancient waxy substance that was discovered buried in peat bogs, mostly in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Some of the butter was found in oak barrels while others were preserved in wooden containers such as kegs, buckets, butter churns and dishes. Samples of the butter that was discovered were tested and this bog butter was made from dairy products while other sample results showed that it was meat-based.

Picture: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32630695/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/-year-old-butter-discovered-ireland/

Stories about Bog Butter Discoveries:

A few thousand years ago, someone living in Ireland made butter and placed it in an oak barrel. It is believed that they were roughly 25 miles west of Dublin when they buried it, but over the course of time they lost track of their butter. While exploring in the Gilltown bog, two archaeologists discovered the missing butter between the Irish towns of Staplestown and Timahoe. Then another discovery happened in 2009, when two Irish workers, John Fitzharris and Martin Lane, discovered an oak barrel dating back roughly 3,000 years was found and the butter inside was exceptionally well-preserved. This oak barrel was three-foot-long and weighed 77 pounds and was also found in the Gilltown bog. Even though this was a very exciting discovery for these archaeologists/workers, these weren’t the first barrels of butter that has been preserved by the bog. Over 270 kegs of bog butter have been reclaimed from the wetlands.

Picture: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Bog-butter-from-3000-BC--found-in-ancient-underground-store-120950094.html

*Next week we are going to continue on looking at exciting discoveries found in peat-lands….what will be next?!

Work Cited:

Hayes, C. (2011, April 29). ‘Bog butter’ from 3,000 BC found in ancient underground store. Retrieved April 4, 2012, from Irish Central: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Bog-butter-from-3000-BC--found-in-ancient-underground-store-120950094.html

Lorenzi, R. (2009, August 31). 3,000-year-old butter discovered in Ireland. Retrieved April 4, 2012, from Science on MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32630695/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/-year-old-butter-discovered-ireland/

Madrigal, A. (2009, August 21). Bogosphere: The Strangest Things Pulled Out of Peat Bogs. Retrieved April 4, 2012, from Wired Science: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/bogosphere