Faces of people who died thousands of years ago have been revealed in stunning pictures, after they were expertly reconstructed by a Swedish sculptor.

Sculptor uses ancient skulls, a 3D printer and DNA analysis to painstakingly bring faces of a Viking noblewoman, the founder of Stockholm and a Peruvian queen back to life

He creates digital scans of these skulls to map them in perfect detail and uses a 3D printer to rebuild them, forming a base for him to work from.

He then uses his knowledge of anatomy to overlay muscles and is steered by scientific findings - including DNA analysis - surrounding the specific find site to add details like skin, hair and eye colour, and clothing.

To date, he has recreated a Viking noblewoman, the founder of Stockholm, an ancient Peruvian queen, people from various eras of Britain's past and a 40,000-year-old Cro Magnon man found in France.


Pictured: Estrid Sigfastsdotter, a rich and powerful Viking noblewoman

WHO WAS ESTRID SIGFASTSDOTTER?
Estrid Sigfastsdotter is the name given to one of the oldest human skeletal remains found in Sweden.

She is thought to have lived around 1020AD around

She is thought to have lived around 1020AD around where Täby church village in Täby municipality sits today.

She is one of the first known Christians in Sweden.

It is thought this is the case due to the custom of Vikings burning their dead before the entrance of Christianity.
Mr Nilsson has been working for various museums around the world for 20 years and says he finds his work fascinating, as every face is so unique.

He wanted to become a forensic artist when he studied archaeology at university in the 90s.

'I simply wanted to see what the people from history look like,' he added. 'I love faces and history.'

Mr Nilsson creates forensic reconstructions of archaeological findings using the highest scientific techniques and standards, ultimately portraying what the individual most likely looked like in life.

The process starts with making a 3D replica of the original skull.

Mr Nilsson reconstructs the muscles and features of the individual to get it as realistic as possible and he then casts the faces in skin pigmented silicone, human hair - inserted strand by strand - and prosthetic eyes.

'I hope people get a feeling of "I know this guy",' he said. 'It is the most effective way to make history relevant, especially to the younger generations.

'Most often when people see my work they say "I know him/her" or "she looks exactly like my aunt".

'Our brains try to identify the face and, if the face is this realistic, the brain process becomes highly active. People also always try to interpret the emotional status from the face.'


In one project, Mr Nilsson recreated the appearance of Birger Jarl, the founder and first ruler of Stockholm, whose skull was discovered buried in a church.

WHO WAS STOCKHOLM RULER BIRGER JAR?
Otherwise known as Birger Magnusson, Birger Jar was a statesman who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden - the fusing of the loosely-affiliated social systems under the King's power.

He is also widely considered to have founded the Swedish capital, Stockholm, circa 1250.

Birger died on 21 October 1266. His grave in Västergötland - his birthplace - was opened in May 2002.
In another, he recreated the weathered face of a Peruvian queen buried with a vast trove of jewels and treasure 1,200 years ago.



WHO WAS PERU'S HUARMEY QUEEN?
Although her name is unknown, she was a noblewoman who lived and died in the South American country.

She was laid to rest some 1,200 years ago inside the El Castillo de Huarmey tomb, which was part of a large temple for the Wari culture: a middle-horizon civilization that flourished from about AD 500.

There, she was buried with more than fifty other women, but her status was clear: she had her own private chamber and was surrounded by jewelry and gold.
One of Mr Nilsson's latest projects was to recreate the faces of some of the earliest people to live in Britain and Europe, to show what they may have looked like and tell their story.

This was part of an exhibition at Brighton Museum, focused on seven people, arranged chronologically, five of whom were early residents of Brighton & Hove.

Among the sculptures featured were people who lived during the last Ice Age, the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon periods.

One, known as Ditchling Road man was buried in a shallow grave in a crouched position, lying on his left side with a decorated ceramic ‘beaker’ on its side by his feet and a barbed and tanged arrow head under his skull.

He lived between 4,287- 4,125 years ago and was between 25 and 35 when he died.

A quantity of snail shells were found opposite his mouth. It seems to have been a basic burial, indicating the man was probably not high status.

Limited DNA results show he probably had light skin, blue eyes, blonde hair. We also know he suffered from loss of teeth and tooth decay.


A Neanderthal woman whose remains were found in Gibraltar.

Neanderthal woman is a 45,000 year-old finding from Gibraltar, Spain.

Her well-preserved skull was unearthed in 1848 during excavations at the northern end of the Rock of Gibraltar.

In 1926, a second Neanderthal skull was found at a rock shelter close to the same site.

Much less complete than the first skull, it was later identified as that of a four-year-old child - possibly Neanderthal Woman's offspring.


Whitehawk Girl, a woman who lived near Brighton around 5650–5520 years ago

WHO WAS THE WHITEHAWK WOMAN?

She lived between 5650–5520 years ago and lived to age 19-25. She was small and slender with dark North African or Southern Mediterranean skin.

Her eyes were brown and her hair would have been a light shade of brown.

Her general health was good but the bones of a baby were found nestling in her pelvis which point to the probability that she died in childbirth.

Tests on the isotope and chemical make-up from her teeth suggest she came from an area such as Hereford.

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