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Bogs hold more archaeological treasures than any history book. Anything left or dropped in the bog decays incredibly slowly because it's not exposed to the things that cause rotting: air, sunlight and mini-beasts. It's better than a deep freeze! Bogs preserve wooden trackways 2,000 years old, cooking pots 4,000 years old, gold bracelets 2,000 years old and ancient chopping axes.

Millions of seeds and pollen grains produced by plants and trees are also preserved in the bog. As time passes and the bog keeps growing, the pollen and seeds stored change. The pollen preserved in peat from the bottom of the bog 10,000 years ago will be very different from that found in the top layers. These differences tell us how the landscape has changed over the last 10,000 years.

An ancient Trackway found in a
Longford bog. It is 2,000 years old.