Iron Age man who gelled his hair reconstructed for Timewatch
Submitted by coldrum on Friday, 08 February 2008 Page Views: 1474
Iron Age and Later PrehistoryCountry: Ireland (Republic of) Scientists at Dundee University have helped to recreate the face of a man dubbed the Iron Age David Beckham because of evidence he gelled his hair. Clonycavan Man, named after the area he was found, was one of two bodies discovered in a peat bog in the Republic of Ireland in 2003.The chemical composition of the peat mummified the body, enabling scientists to recreate his face.
The Timewatch programme on BBC Two on Friday 8th Feb will investigate the find. (hopefully available on BBC IPlayer if you missed it)
The first body dropped off a peat cutting machine in February 2003 in Clonycavan, near Dublin. The forearms, hands and lower abdomen were missing, believed to have been hacked off by the machine.
The second was found in May the same year in Croghan, about 25 miles from Clonycavan.
The bodies, which had been tied down, tortured and were probably slain in a ritual sacrifice. Research indicated they lived about 2,300 years ago.
Clonycavan Man has been recreated with slicked back, gelled hair and striking good looks.
The chemical composition of the peat bog mummifies bodies in such a way that the skeleton deteriorates but the skin is preserved.
Forensic anthropologists and forensic artists at Dundee University used a state of the art computer system to recreate the facial appearance of the Iron Age man and then add glass eyes, skin tone and hair.
The head has been constructed from the crushed skull and soft tissue of the bog body.
It appears the man used a type of Iron Age hair gel - vegetable oil mixed with resin - perhaps to give the impression of height as he was only 5ft 2in tall.
Forensic evidence was recovered from every part of the bodies.
The contents of their stomachs told of their last meal, the chemicals in their hair enabled an understanding of their diet and their skeletons offered clues about their age.
Scientists in Wales, Ireland and Denmark also took part in the face reconstruction.
Timewatch producer John Hayes-Fisher said: "This is enormously significant in terms of European archaeology, as bog bodies are so terribly rare.
"What really shocked me while making the programme, though, was discovering the unnecessary violence with which some of these young men were killed. The Iron Age really was quite a brutal time."
More at BBC Scotland
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