How old was Tollund Man?

On X-rays taken at Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen the doctors were able to see Tollund Man’s teeth. The teeth tell us how old he was when he died. His wisdom teeth had grown in which indicates that he was a grown man. The teeth are important when you have to estimate the age of a person you don’t know anything else about. Usually the first of the so-called milk teeth appears when you are 6 or 7 months old. After that one tooth will appear every month until you have all your milk teeth by the age of 2 ½. When you are approximately 6 years old the first one of your permanent teeth will appear, and at approximately the same time you will start to lose your milk teeth. They will be replaced by permanent teeth and most of these will have appeared by the age of 12. During the next 10 years the last teeth will appear, more precisely your wisdom teeth.

Besides the teeth other things will also reveal a person’s age: adhesions of the scull and coccyx, arthritis of the sternum etc. clearly tell a forensic examiner a person’s age. Based on an examination of these things the doctors concluded that Tollund Man was approximately 30-40 years old when he was hanged.