2023-12-12 09:30:00
A Look Through Time: The Shocking Reconstruction of a Prehistoric Mother in Sweden
Oscar Nilsson
After 350 hours of meticulous work, Oscar Nilsson, a Swiss researcher, has managed to reconstruct the face, body and clothing of a prehistoric woman whose remains rested next to those of a 7-year-old boy in the Swedish village of Lagmansören. Dating carried out by a team of paleontologists indicates that both died at least 4 thousand years ago.
The work of Nilsson, a prominent forensic artist, focused on transforming the bones found in the tomb into a visual representation of the prehistoric woman. Although there is speculation that she may be the child’s mother, Nilsson notes that the evidence is inconclusive, and they could be siblings or members of the same tribe.
The deteriorated state of the genetic remains prevents a more detailed analysis, according to the paleontologists in charge of the research. Despite this, Nilsson leans his interpretation towards a filial relationship between both skeletons.
The prehistoric woman in question has been known in Sweden for almost a century, since her discovery in 1923 in Lagmansören. However, it was recently that Nilsson undertook the challenge of reconstructing her face, body and possible clothing, dedicating 350 hours to sculpting the representation of her, based on the structure of the skull and other available organic remains.
Absolutely love my job. Today we installed a reconstruction of a stone age woman into our permanent exhibition. Absolutely amazingly cool. She lived here almost 4 000 years ago.
#archaeology @VnMuseum pic.twitter.com/N4ogSFDGvu
— Kajsa Hartig (@kajsahartig) January 31, 2022
The final result, an animation that reveals the layers of the body and the sculpted facial representation, highlights the meticulous attention of Nilsson, who has portrayed the woman in a maternal posture, visually searching for the child with whom she was originally buried.
Museum authorities celebrated the final product, noting that the woman was around 30 years old and was no taller than 1.50 meters. Nilsson respected the likelihood that the clothing was made from leather mixed with reindeer bones to provide warmth.
Nilsson’s interpretation challenges stereotypes about prehistoric people, presenting the woman as a caring and attentive mother rather than the crude, primitive image commonly associated. The 3D reconstruction will form part of the museum’s permanent exhibition, challenging and enriching our perception of prehistoric life.
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