A Face From the Stone Age

The skull was no longer intact. Some parts have been broken and lost, but that's the skull of the most comprehensive of the Stone Age Norway. Forensic reconstruction of the skull was successfully display back face of a boy who lived near Stavanger 7.500 years ago.

"I hope that the reconstruction is similar to the boy's face in his lifetime, and if there is someone who knew him when living, they can recognize this face," said Jenny Barber, a student at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Barber did not arbitrarily reshape the face of "Viste Boy", the nickname given to the skull and skeleton boy who predicted strong and muscular body of the Vistehola cave, near Stavanger, is. She held on to science to "turn on" the Viste Boy.

The "Vistehola", stone age cave is 8-9 meters deep and the opening is 5.5 meters wide. It was first used by man around 6000 BC. People lived there until the Iron Age up to the year 500 AD. (Picture from: http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/)

Barber is studying the art of forensics, a discipline that includes a unique identification and human anatomy to recreate the appearance of someone who has died as when he was alive. Modeling methods are widely used to assist the police investigation, but is still rarely used in Norway.

Analysis on, the framework suggests that Viste Boy was 15 when he died. Compared with an average height of male Norway today, the boy's quite short, only 1.25 meters. The archaeologists believe that the young man there is a possibility sickly, which explains why he died young.

Researchers estimate that children living in a group of 10-15 people. From their study of garbage in the Vistehola and around the cave, archaeologists concluded that the group was eating fish, especially cod, as well as oysters, clams, cormorant birds, elk, and wild pigs.

Face of the Stone Age. (Picture from: KORAN TEMPO 3694)

Discovered in 1907, Viste Boy a third hominid skeleton unearthed in Norway. The bones and skull, dark is now on display at Archaeological Museum at the University of Stavanger.

Viste Boy is not the first skull who had the honor to be reconstructed. Framework of Norway's oldest Stone Age, 8.600 years old, is the first framework that has been reconstructed. Female skeleton was found in Segne, near Kristiansand, in 1994.

Modelling of the Stone Age women were conducted based on a series of X-ray scanning of the skull. From the X-ray images, the experts at University College in London to model three-dimensional face.

But reconstruction techniques continue to evolve, so the model Viste boy produce different features than, Segne Women. "The goal is to produce a face as close as possible to the original," said Barber. "That's the true meaning of facial reconstruction, identify and recognize the uniqueness of a person."

To produce detail as closely as possible the boy's lifetime, Barber scan the surface of the skull with a laser scanner that provides accurate data from the anatomy of the skull Viste boy.

Part of the skull was badly damaged skull, so Barber should duplicate the most intact side. To support his work, Barber uses a digital copy of the skull of 15-year-old boy the other. However, considering the preparation of the final anatomic form of the original bone.

Using the program, Barber can change the digital construction into a plastic model and build muscle, skin, and other features using clay. Clay model was limited to the chest became the basis for making a negative mold that is used to create a model of the head of fiberglass and plastic resin. Eyes, ears, and other details are added or painted.

Reconstruction conducted by Barber revealed that the Viste Boy had scaphocephaly, abnormal head shape that makes the long and narrow skull. To show this, Barber let the Viste Boy model head was not covered with hair.

"The fact that the boy had scaphocephaly were medical details that we have never observed before," said Mads Ravn, head of research at the Archaeological Museum.

Barber jobs gives inspiration to many people. Ravn said similar work is now underway in Moesgard Museum in Denmark to reconstruct Grauballe Men, skeleton found from a swamp.

Modeling shows that he actually has a very prominent jaws and eyes located close together, so invite the theory that he is a runaway or offenders who were executed, rather than a rich man who sacrificed to the gods.

Barber jobs also demonstrated that the boy was not sick and bulky. "These reconstructions indicate that his body muscular, strong young man," she said. "So he's not necessarily sick, as assumed by others. The analysis in the diagnosis of bone also did not show that way, and he had no more congenital malformations other than scaphocephaly"

Apart from a variety of new scientific findings, such as scaphocephaly and muscular young man's body, the Norwegian people can now see firsthand how the way their ancestors. "Just imagine, we can get an idea how Norway's oldest human face," says Ravn.

He was very excited for the opportunity to show off the results of the reconstruction was in the museum. "Our challenge is to present the findings in archeology it well," he said. "The work of Barber gives a great opportunity for us to 'turn' back of the skull is very ancient."

Barber emphasized the aspect of education as an important motivation for the job. "People interested in the face," he said. "The Viste Boy is likely attract attention in the exhibition in the future, bringing the story of Vistehola. Viste Boy and his relatives lived there more for the visitors." *** [TJANDRA DEWI | SCIENCEDAILY | UIS | KORAN TEMPO 3694]