Below the body was a thin layer of moss. Scientists know that this moss was formed in Danish peat bogs in the early Iron Age, therefore, the body was suspected to have been placed in the bog more than 2,000 years ago during the early Iron Age. C radiocarbon dating was performed: It indicated that he died in approximately 375-210 BC. The acid in the peat, along with the lack of oxygen underneath the surface, had preserved the delicate soft tissues of his body.