The face of a slave brutally murdered in Roman Britain 1700 years ago is recreated (photo)
Scientists have for the first time reconstructed the face of a Roman crucifixion victim found in England. The skeleton of a man with a nail in his heel was discovered in 2017 in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire.
Cambridge University bone specialist Corinne Dagig told the BBC that it is an "almost unique" find in a previously unknown Roman settlement.
The facial reconstruction shows that the man died between the ages of 25 and 35, with brown hair and eyes. He was physically strong and probably worked as a manual laborer.
An analysis of the remains showed that the man suffered other injuries before his death, including an infection or inflammation of the legs.
"This man had such a horrible ending that it seems like seeing his face makes you show him more respect," Dagig said.
The scholar noted that crucifixion was a particularly cruel death, often used for traitors and slaves.
In the case of the Fenstanton man, Ms. Dagig said he was buried with proper respect, indicating that his death was not politically motivated.
"He was tortured, but he was released to the public for a completely normal burial," she said.
Earlier, archaeologists found a 300 million-year-old fossilized lizard skin fragment in Oklahoma. The creature lived 45 million years before the first dinosaurs.
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