Reconstruction of 'Vistegutten' Boy Reveals Adolescent With Deformed Skull Who Might Have Been Alone in a Cave as He Died

One of the oldest known skeletal remains in Norway has undergone reconstruction. The output showcases an adolescent with a deformed skull who may have been alone in a cave when he died.

'Vistegutten' Lonely Boy

According to Live Science, it was around 8,300 years ago when an adolescent with a short structure and a deformed skull moved along the rocky shores of present-day Norway. The remains of the adolescent, dubbed Vistegutten, which stands for "the boy from Viste," have undergone a full reconstruction. It can be found at southern Norway's Hå Gamle Prestegard museum.

Local Today News reports that the reconstruction project took months to finish. However, Visgutten has been known since 1907, when the remains were spotted in a Middle Stone Age cave within Randaberg.

There are some notable things about the 15-year-old. His height was a mere 4 feet and 1 inch, which made him remarkably short for his age even during that time. He also harbored a condition called scaphocephaly, which meant that skull fusion took place quite early. This forced the body's head to grow backward rather than sideways.

Aside from this, the boy could have passed alone. His remains were spotted as if he were simply leaning on the wall of the cave.

Forensic artist Oscar Nilsson says that the boy may have been positioned that way after he died or that he could have really died in such a position. He further says that it shows an impression of a lonely boy who may have been waiting for loved ones to appear. However, there is nothing known about how the adolescent passed away.

Reconstruction of the Visgutten Boy

To proceed with the reconstruction, two CT scans of the skull were taken. This enabled Nilsson to come up with a plastic replica that was 3D printed. Because Nilsson was not very sure about the thickness of the adolescent's facial tissues, he based such information on modern 15-year-olds from Northern Europe. He notes that, though they are not sure whether such measurements were the same over 8,000 years ago, it's the best guess that he has.

Nilsson observed that the forehead had quite a childish look. It was rounded and projected onto the face. It could have been due to scaphocephaly. Nilsson also added that the adolescent's nasal ridge was quite thin, yet the lower parts of his nose were broad.

A DNA analysis revealed the adolescent's eye and hair color as well as skin tone. These features were likely close to other findings from Norway during this time.

A full wardrobe was also prepared for the adolescent's reconstruction. His clothes were made by independent archaeologist Helena Gjaerum, who makes use of prehistoric methods for leather tanning. He also had a necklace made from the vertebrae of a salmon and a seashell.

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