Scientists recreate face of 2,000-year-old Roman-era man from Scotland
A facial reconstruction of a man who died on Scotland’s Roman frontier around AD 140-165 has been completed for a new museum exhibition.
An international team applied cutting-edge scientific methods to recreate the visage of a man interred at Inveresk, a Roman-era site near Edinburgh, who died between AD 140 and 165. Genetic testing showed he originated from southern Britain and had traveled hundreds of miles to the Firth of Forth region. Skeletal analysis revealed a healed broken nose, extensive bone growth around his elbow likely from septic arthritis, and that he was not a soldier at death.
Four of the six adult men buried at the site were decapitated, an early example of the practice in Britain. The digital portrait, produced by Dr Chris Rynn, will accompany the skull in the Roman Scotland: Life On The Edge Of Empire exhibition opening in November at the National Museum of Scotland.
Why it matters
The reconstruction brings tangible humanity to ancient Roman frontier lives, deepening public understanding of early Scottish history.
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