Bronze Age Woman Who Lived In Scotland 4,200 Year Ago

This is the face of a young woman who lived in Shetland, Scotland around 4,200 years ago.

The Bronze Age woman’s broken skeleton was found in Upper Largie in 1996, and it’s the only prehistoric human burial from that area to have ever been found.

Now, scientists have reconstructed her face, based on the skeletal remains.

The woman was called Upper Largie Woman, after the Upper Largie Quarry (where she was discovered).

She was buried in a crouched position within a stone-lined grave - and she remained buried for millennia, until excavators unearthed her bones in 1997.

The reconstruction of her face shows a young woman with dark braided hair who is wearing a deer-skin outfit.

The reconstruction was created by renowned forensic artist Oscar D Nilsson who uses a range of techniques including 3D printing and DNA analysis to faithfully reconstruct ancient faces.

Nilsson used the woman’s estimated age and weight to determine the appropriate thickness and texture of her bodily tissue.

He also considered the woman’s possible lifestyle, which likely contained periods of malnourishment.

Then he got to work molding the woman’s facial muscles out of plasticine clay, using the shape of her skull to inform the contours of her eyes, nose, and mouth.

After that, Nilsson layered the woman’s finer features on top, using DNA from excavations similar in region and period to determine her skin tone, eye colour, and hair colour.

The excavation team brought her remains to the Kilmartin Museum, where researchers used radiocarbon dating to determine when she might have lived.

They estimated that the Upper Largie Woman would have been alive sometime between 1500 B.C. and 2200 B.C. and died sometime in her 20s.

A series of unsuccessful DNA extraction attempts left archaeologists unable to figure out the woman’s ethnic heritage.

However, pieces of pottery in her grave suggested she was a part of the Bell Beaker movement, which dominated several prehistoric European populations during the Bronze Age. 

The Upper Largie Woman’s remains have since been reburied for the sake of cultural sensitivity. 

If you’d like to see this reconstruction and learn more about her history, we highly recommend you check it out at Kilmartin Museum .

Situated at the heart of this internationally important landscape on the west coast of Scotland, Kilmartin Museum cares for ancient artefacts from across Argyll.

In 2019, just over half of the 22,000 artefacts in our care were awarded Nationally Significant status by Museums Galleries Scotland and an independent panel of experts.

The newly renovated Museum will give visitors the opportunity to see their fascinating ancient artefacts properly conserved and displayed, close to the sites where they were discovered.

The museum also hosts free, fun and friendly guided walks around Kilmartin Glen.

Why was she found crouching?

Crouching or squatting burials are a type of burial common in various ancient cultures, including some from the Bronze Age.

These burials involve placing the deceased in a flexed or crouched position, typically with the knees drawn up towards the chest.

The reasons behind this burial posture can vary depending on cultural beliefs, religious practices, or practical considerations.

Here are some possible reasons why crouching burials were practiced during the Bronze Age:

Cultural and Religious Beliefs: Many ancient cultures had specific beliefs about the afterlife or the journey of the soul after death.

The posture in which the deceased was buried might have been thought to facilitate this journey or to reflect certain spiritual or cosmological concepts.

Practical Considerations: In some cases, crouching burials might have been more practical due to limitations in burial space or resources.

Flexing the body into a crouched position could allow for more efficient use of burial space, especially in areas where land was scarce or burial sites were reused.

Symbolism and Ritual: The crouched position may have held symbolic significance within the cultural or religious context of the Bronze Age societies.

It could represent concepts such as rebirth, fertility, or protection in the afterlife.

Respect for the Deceased: The manner in which individuals were buried often reflected the respect and care that the community had for the deceased.

The crouched position may have been perceived as a way to honor the deceased or to ensure their comfort in the afterlife.

Preservation of the Body: Depending on burial practices and environmental conditions, placing the body in a flexed position might have helped with the preservation of the remains over time.

Prehistoric Shetland

During the Neolithic period, around 3000 BCE, farming communities began to establish themselves in Shetland.

Evidence of Neolithic settlement can be found at sites like Scord of Brouster, where stone-built houses and field systems have been discovered.

The Bronze Age saw further development, with the construction of impressive stone structures such as the Clickimin Broch in Lerwick, which likely served as fortified residences for local chieftains.

Shetland's prehistoric inhabitants also left their mark through the creation of impressive megalithic monuments.

The best-known example is the Broch of Mousa, a remarkably well-preserved Iron Age broch that stands as one of the finest examples of its kind in the world.

Another fine example is Jarlshof - an extraordinary complex of several archaeological sites, with ruins spanning 4000 years in one location.

The 3-acre site contains Neolithic houses, a Bronze Age village, an Iron Age settlement and broch, a Viking village, a medieval farm, and a 16th-century laird's hall.

In the late 19th century a violent storm exposed ancient stone walls which proved to be part of a settlement dating back as much as 6000 years.

The local landowner began excavating in 1897, but it was not until 1957 that results were finally published, and what they showed was incredible.

The site is a must-see for anyone visiting Shetland; laid out chronologically, visitors weave their way through the ages of Shetland’s human history.

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