Facial reconstruction, a part of science and technology has brought a 13th-century man to life after 7 centuries. This is the news from Cambridge, where a 13th-century man's skull remains has been reconstructed. This reconstruction is a part of a project to get a clear perception of the unknown poor of the medieval city. The man died almost more than 700 years ago.
According to Trend Peaks, the 13th-century man is named as Context958 as given by researcher. This was among those hundreds of remains which were found in a graveyard under what is now the Old Divinity School of St John's College. This cemetery was earlier attached to a hospital and independent charitable foundation for poor people between 1200 and 1500 and is among the largest medieval hospital cemeteries in Britain.
Archaeologists are seeking new information on the poor of the 13th century who lived in the city and to find out the documentary evidence. "We really don't know much about poor medieval people and their lives because most work has focused either on upper middle classes or on celebrity bodies," said Professor John Robb, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge University.
According to The Guardian, the bodies found under the St John's were of adults' mostly that included impoverished scholars and laborers. The facial reconstruction 13th Century man has been done by Dr. Chris Rynn, a lecturer at the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee. He applied forensic techniques and methods to estimate the face structure, combining tissue depths and facial anatomy.
The analysis of the 13th Century man's skeleton revealed a robust physique. He had good diet enriched with animal protein as well as well nourished. The signs of physical labor were the "well-marked muscle attachments". It was also found that maybe the person had dental troubles, including abscesses. At his death, in-between 1200-1300, he was aged between 40 and 70.
Prof John Robb said that "It is very clear that he comes from a poor urban working class, possibly a laborer or small craftsman or tradesman. He lived to a good age for his period in the 13th century." The skeleton revealed some inner profiles of the 113th-centuryman i.e. he was a survivor with several small and deep afflictions that caused pain and wear and tear but didn't kill him.
