Recreating The Face Of A 4,000-Year-Old Stone Age Woman
A 4,000-year-old Stone Age woman’s skull has been brought back to life by an exceptionally skillful 3D artist, after 300 arduous hours working. Oscar Nilsson, famous pioneering archaeologist in reconstructive archaeology was responsible for having brought the prehistoric female back to life.
Experts found the woman remains about 100 years ago in a stone-lined grave deep in the forests of northeastern Sweden, next to a 7-year-old boy believed to be her son. The pair is believed to belong to a nomadic group of hunters who had been following animal migrations along the 430-kilometer-long Indalsälven river.
Scientists said that the woman passed away because of a mysterious reason, before being entombed in her 30s. In 2020, the curators from Västernorrlands Museum in Sweden, where the woman’s remains are stored, consulted archaeologist Oscar Nilsson, who is famous for his facial restructure with clay. Having personally reconstructed over 100 ancient people, Nilsson earned himself the title “pioneer of reconstructive archaeology”.
The museologists opted to present to the visitors “the oldest face from the north—the woman from Lagmansören.” However, they didn’t know her appearance back in that time. The skull was “perfectly presented”, having been discovered in a region with extreme conditions, preventing the preservation of ancient remains.
In 2019, it was reported that, to restructure the faces of prehistoric people, Oscar Nilsson, the forensic artist based in Sweden, first formed 3D printed replicas of their skulls. The Swedish artist is well-known for collecting huge amount of scientific data on the people he plans to “revive”, including carrying out DNA examinations and researching human remnants.
Measuring about 5 ft. in height, the woman from Lagmansören is believed to be “short, even for her time”, according to museum archaeologists. Her lower jaw bone (mandible) is depicted as being “quite masculine”, having protruding teeth, a bent nose and low set eyes. Although she was exceptionally preserved, scientists have remained unsuccessful in recovering any usable DNA.
This leads to the improbability in chemical determination of her woman’s skin and hair. Even though, Nilsson inspected historical migration patterns to find that she might have had light skin and dark hair.
Though 3D printers are exceptional at recreating skulls by using scans, they seem not to be able to revive expressions. In these cases, skin, muscle and cartilage are long gone, meaning that archaeologists have to move out of the safety of science to dive deep in his own emotions, from which to better interpret the people they intend to “revive.”
The artists clarified that they are “strictly forbidden” to restructure strong feelings like anger, leading to them concentrating on weaving together emotions to give the sense that the face is in motion, “and therefore, alive.”
In the case of the lady from Lagmansören, Nilsson said she was “not threatened,” and that she feels safe and at home as she looks at the child. But while the face of the Stone Age woman has what the artist described as a “safe feeling,” it is also a bit cocky. This is a woman you wouldn’t want to mess with, despite her height.
Experts found the woman remains about 100 years ago in a stone-lined grave deep in the forests of northeastern Sweden, next to a 7-year-old boy believed to be her son. The pair is believed to belong to a nomadic group of hunters who had been following animal migrations along the 430-kilometer-long Indalsälven river.
Scientists said that the woman passed away because of a mysterious reason, before being entombed in her 30s. In 2020, the curators from Västernorrlands Museum in Sweden, where the woman’s remains are stored, consulted archaeologist Oscar Nilsson, who is famous for his facial restructure with clay. Having personally reconstructed over 100 ancient people, Nilsson earned himself the title “pioneer of reconstructive archaeology”.
The Lagmansören Woman: A Stone Age Woman with No Face
Source: Oscar Nilsson
Front and back of the reconstruction of the 4,000-year-old Stone Age woman whose remains were discovered in Lagmansören, Sweden.
Previously, the museum curators took part in a huge project designing a new attraction following 9,500 years of human activity in Sweden. The 4,000-year-old skull of a Stone Age woman, together with that of her son, are probably the earliest remains to be discovered in that region of Sweden.The museologists opted to present to the visitors “the oldest face from the north—the woman from Lagmansören.” However, they didn’t know her appearance back in that time. The skull was “perfectly presented”, having been discovered in a region with extreme conditions, preventing the preservation of ancient remains.
In 2019, it was reported that, to restructure the faces of prehistoric people, Oscar Nilsson, the forensic artist based in Sweden, first formed 3D printed replicas of their skulls. The Swedish artist is well-known for collecting huge amount of scientific data on the people he plans to “revive”, including carrying out DNA examinations and researching human remnants.
3D Printing Ancient People
Source: Swedish National Heritage Board
The 4,000-year-old Stone Age woman was discovered back in 1923 in a stone-lined grave near Lagmansören, Sweden.
Nilsson first scanned the skull of the female before programming a 3D printer to produce a life-sized replica of that. Her tissue depth is identified by pegs, upon which Nilsson would layer on clay to represent her facial muscles. A layer of plasticine clay completely cover this model, while the complete face was recast in a skin-tone silicone, into which the creator meticulously carved wrinkles and lines.Measuring about 5 ft. in height, the woman from Lagmansören is believed to be “short, even for her time”, according to museum archaeologists. Her lower jaw bone (mandible) is depicted as being “quite masculine”, having protruding teeth, a bent nose and low set eyes. Although she was exceptionally preserved, scientists have remained unsuccessful in recovering any usable DNA.
This leads to the improbability in chemical determination of her woman’s skin and hair. Even though, Nilsson inspected historical migration patterns to find that she might have had light skin and dark hair.
Creating Ancient Emotions Inaccessible to Technology
Source: Oscar Nilsson
In order to create the reconstruction of the Stone Age woman, Oscar Nilsson scanned the ancient skull before creating a life-sized replica and layering on clay to represent her facial muscles.
3D printers are great at making skulls based on scans, but one thing technology cannot recreate is a person’s expression. Skin, muscle and cartilage are long gone in these cases and this means the archaeologist has to leave the safety of science and deep-dive his own emotions, to better understand the people he plans to recreate.Though 3D printers are exceptional at recreating skulls by using scans, they seem not to be able to revive expressions. In these cases, skin, muscle and cartilage are long gone, meaning that archaeologists have to move out of the safety of science to dive deep in his own emotions, from which to better interpret the people they intend to “revive.”
The artists clarified that they are “strictly forbidden” to restructure strong feelings like anger, leading to them concentrating on weaving together emotions to give the sense that the face is in motion, “and therefore, alive.”
In the case of the lady from Lagmansören, Nilsson said she was “not threatened,” and that she feels safe and at home as she looks at the child. But while the face of the Stone Age woman has what the artist described as a “safe feeling,” it is also a bit cocky. This is a woman you wouldn’t want to mess with, despite her height.
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