York Press: York archaeologists join researchers to reveal face of man who died 2,000 years ago

York archaeologists help reconstruct the face of a 2,000-year-old man buried at Roman Inveresk, featured in a National Museum of Scotland exhibition in Edinburgh.

York archaeologists join researchers to reveal face of man who died 2,000 years ago

The man's skull will be displayed alongside the digital facial reconstruction in the exhibition Roman Scotland: Life On The Edge Of Empire which opens at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh next month. (Image: Duncan McGlynn/National Museums Scotland/the Press Association)

A team of archaeologists at a university in York have helped reconstruct the face of a man who died nearly 2,000 years ago.

Born in southern Britain but buried in Inveresk, near Edinburgh, the man died between AD 140 and 165 and is believed to have travelled hundreds of miles to the Roman frontier in Scotland.

The man’s skull will be displayed alongside the digital facial reconstruction in the exhibition Roman Scotland: Life On The Edge Of Empire at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, which opens on November 14.

Dr Fraser Hunter, principal curator of prehistory and Roman archaeology at National Museums Scotland (NMS), said: "I have worked with the finds from Roman Inveresk for years, but this facial reconstruction finally gives me a sense of what one of its inhabitants looked like.

"Archaeology tells us about people who had hopes and fears just like us, and it is a privilege to present a vision of this resident of Inveresk using contemporary scientific techniques.

"We cannot know how exactly he looked, but we think his family and friends would have spotted the likeness."

The man was not believed to be a soldier at the time of his death.

Analysis revealed he had sustained multiple injuries and had limited use of his right arm, likely due to septic arthritis.

Dr Jess Thompson examining the skull of a man from Roman Scotland, revealed in a facial reconstruction carried out ahead of a major exhibition. (Image: Duncan McGlynn/National Museums Scotland/the Press Association)

He had also suffered a broken nose that had healed during his lifetime.

He was one of several individuals buried near the Roman fort at Inveresk.

Four of the six adult men buried there—including the subject of the facial reconstruction—had been decapitated post-mortem, a practice believed to be among the earliest known in Britain and the first recorded in Scotland.

Dr Jess Thompson, curator of osteoarchaeology at NMS, said: "The burials at Inveresk are exceptional and incredibly rare survivals from Roman Scotland.

"Taking an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of human remains allows us to understand the physical attributes of these individuals as well as their life stories.

"We can investigate where these men had travelled from to reach the frontier, what they were doing there, and what became of them.

"This facial reconstruction by Dr Chris Rynn unites cutting-edge science with artistic vision to create an instant connection with the past, offering a dynamic portrait of what he may have looked like and who he may have been."

The exhibition explores life on the Roman frontier, from soldiers to nearby communities, and examines how the Roman invasion affected local populations.

NMS said the facial reconstruction was informed by an osteoarchaeological assessment carried out at the museum, previous isotopic analysis led by scholars at Durham University, and ancient DNA research by a team based at the Department of Archaeology at the University of York and Harvard Medical School.

The exhibition will run until April 18, 2027.