Facial Reconstruction Performed on Bronze Age Woman Found Crouching in Stone-Lined Grave From Over 4,000 Years Ago

A Bronze Age woman from over 4,000 years ago died in present-day Scotland. She passed away crouching in a stone-lined grave and stayed buried until her remains were found in 1997.

Bronze Age Woman Facial Reconstruction

The woman has been dubbed Upper Largie Woman based on the Upper Largie Quarry. While there is little known about her, a novel facial reconstruction sheds light on what she could have looked like.

The facial reconstruction was publicly displayed in Scotland's Kilmartin Museum on September 3. It depicts a young woman with a deer-skin outfit and dark braided hair. She appeared to be staring at someone close.

Forensic artist Oscar Nilsson was behind the facial reconstruction. Nilsson explains that reconstructions like this enable people today to look into the ancient world without being seen. However, he decided to add a twist and make it look like the woman could see other humans.

The woman's skull underwent CT scanning and was then 3D printed. However, the woman did not have her lower jaw and her cranium's left side was quite fragmented. Thus, Nilsson needed to rebuild this left site and make a mandible.

The woman's age, weight, sex, and ethnicity were then taken into account. Nilsson explains that the woman was around 20 to 30 years old, exhibited signs of malnutrition, and probably originated from the region. The artist then examined a chart of individuals who bore these characteristics then used their tissue for facial reconstruction.

Based on the contours of the woman's skull, Nilsson noted that her nose was broad and eyes were wide. Her mouth was also broad and her forehead was rounded.

It is important to note, however, that the colors used were based on informed guesses that were grounded on other burials from the area and from the specific period.

Who Was the Upper Largie Woman?

Based on dental and skeletal analysis, the woman may have died during her 20s and went through malnutrition and illness. Based on radiocarbon dating, the woman lived from between 1500 and 2200 B.C. This was in the Early Bronze Age period.

Examinations on isotopes from her remains show that the woman primarily grew up in Scotland. However, the scientists were unable to take bits of her DNA. Hence, her ethnicity and other physical details, including hair, eye, and skin color remain a mystery.

Interestingly though, archaeologists were able to find some Beaker pottery sherds at the woman's grave. The finding hints that she may have belonged to the Beaker culture, which started in Central Europe among those with Eurasian Steppe ancestors. The Beaker culture then entered Britain in around 2400 B.C and led to replacement of the majority of the inhabitants in Britain.

Sharon Webb, who serves as the curator and director at the museum, explains that the carbon dating analysis posits that the woman may have been one of the first newcomers of the Beaker culture.

The remains of the Upper Largie Woman have now been reburied sensitively in the same orientation and position that she was likely initially buried in. The facial reconstruction is permanently available for viewing at the museum.

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