A Face from Anglo-Saxon England
The face of a man who lived nearly a thousand years ago in Anglo-Saxon England has been recreated by experts from the University of Dundee.
It was revealed last week at Lincoln Castle, the site where the man’s remains were discovered in 2013 as part of an archaeological dig on the site of an Anglo-Saxon church within the castle grounds. The skeleton was one of eight sets of remains discovered. It is now part of an exhibition at the castle, which has has recently been restored.
The facial reconstruction was carried out by specialists in the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee, one of the world’s leading centres for facial reconstruction.
Caroline Erolin, Lecturer in Forensic and Medical Art at the University of Dundee, explained, “His grave lay slightly under an important sarcophagus burial, which had resulted in excellent preservation of his skull making it the best candidate among the skeletons for facial reconstruction.”
Cecily Spall, from FAS Heritage, which did the archaeological research on the site, offered more details about this man:
“The burial of this man was one of eight burials which were interred inside a small stone church or chapel which predates Lincoln Castle and was previously unknown. Osteological analysis identified the skeleton as that of a man aged between 36 and 45 years old. He had suffered from a range of degenerative bone diseases suggesting an active and strenuous lifestyle. His body was buried in both a wooden coffin and cloth shroud.
“High-precision radiocarbon dating indicates he died between AD 1035 to 1070, just before the Norman Conquest. Isotope analysis of his bones and teeth suggests that he originated in eastern England and could well have been born and bred in Lincolnshire.”o explain
Anglo-Saxon face on display at Lincoln Castle –
photo courtesy Lincolnshire County Council