The Perfect Corpse

At a time when CSI and its innumerable spin-offs rule the airwaves, this PBS-aired NOVA episode focusing on archeological forensics should be a hit with viewers. The Perfect Corpse looks at the analysis of two “bog bodies,” remnants of corpses preserved for centuries in the peat of central Ireland's marshes. These are neither skeletons nor mummies, but soft tissue remains that show evidence of extreme violence occurring before burial. Viewers will see British scientists applying a battery of tests that ultimately date the remains back to the Iron Age—over 2,000 years ago—while also offering clues on the quality of the victims' lives and the circumstances of their deaths. The forensic findings are then fleshed out, as it were, with comments from historical researchers about the ancient Celtic societies in which the people lived and the possible reasons behind the gruesome nature of the killings: were these the victims of ritual sacrifice, or were they criminals being punished for particularly heinous crimes? Or might there have been some primitive political motivation behind the brutality? Unlike in popular TV series, definitive answers prove somewhat elusive here, but the process is fascinating to follow nonetheless. DVD extras include printable materials for educators. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)