Toothless Druid Woman's Face Comes Alive in Wax, Wrinkles and All
By Laura Geggel a day ago History
"Hilda" made it to her 60s at a time when most women lived only to their early 30s.
Image: © University of Dundee)
A toothless skull was all that researchers had of one of Scotland's oldest known Druids, but now they have something more: a wax re-creation of her face, showcasing her gnarled wrinkles and seeming intense determination.
The Druid woman, nicknamed Hilda, lived during the Iron Age. An anatomical analysis suggests that Hilda made it into her 60s, an impressive feat because most women from that region and time lived only until their early 30s, said Karen Fleming, a forensic art and facial identification master's student at the University of Dundee in Scotland.
"Hilda was a fascinating character to recreate," Fleming said in a statement. "A female’s life expectancy at this time was roughly 31 years, but it is now thought that living longer during the Iron Age is indicative of a privileged background."
Fleming also created a detailed digital image of Hilda wearing a shawl around her head.
Not much is known about Hilda. It's thought that her remains were found at Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, off the northern coast of Scotland. Her skull was one of six "Druids of the Hebrides" skulls presented to the Phrenological Society of Edinburgh in 1833. Since then, the skull has remained at The University of Edinburgh’s Anatomical Museum.
More:
https://www.livescience.com/druid-woman-facial-reconstruction.html?utm_source=notification
= new reply since forum marked as read
