A glimpse from millennia past: what an ancient man killed in a strange ritual looked like (6 photos)

Scientists have reconstructed the appearance of a man killed 8,000 years ago during what was believed to be a ritual sacrifice. His head was severed from his body and impaled on a wooden stake. Scientists created a 3D reconstruction of his skull, minus his jaw.





The skull and the remains of 11 other people were found by archaeologists in 2018 in Sweden. Scientists believe the burial was part of a religious ritual. Now, the appearance of one of the victims has been reconstructed using computer technology.



The deceased man had a sharp nose, a high forehead, short hair, and a full beard. At the time of his death, he was wearing boar skin clothing, and his chest was painted with chalk.





A reconstructed male skull

Forensic scientist Oskar Nilsson was tasked with reconstructing the appearance of this ancient hunter-gatherer.



He was healthy and physically strong. But 8,000 years ago, he and 11 other people, including a baby, were killed and dumped in a lake in Sweden. The lake eventually dried up. Their remains were found two years ago. All had multiple injuries to their skulls, and some had their heads severed from their bodies and their skulls impaled on wooden pegs.

"Here we have an example of a very complex ritual that was highly structured. Even though we can't decipher the meaning of the ritual, we can still appreciate its complexity," said Dr. Fredrik Hallgren of Stockholm University.

In addition, bones of wild boar, brown bear, roe deer, elk, and red deer were found at the site of the dried-up lake.



One of the pegs driven into the skull

During the Middle and Late Mesolithic (9,000-6,000 years ago), semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers lived in Scandinavia, whose social structure and culture are poorly understood. Researchers have so far found approximately 200 burials from this period. These were mostly single burials; sometimes several graves were found next to each other.

One of the Mesolithic sites, Kanaljorden, is located near the town of Motala on the shore of a small lake. During the Mesolithic era, 8,000-7,500 years ago, there were settlements of hunters here who fished and gathered wild nuts and berries. In the lake, people built a structure measuring 12 by 14 meters, made of large stones and wooden stakes.



This is how people lived in the Mesolithic era.

During excavations from 2009 to 2013, archaeologists found human and animal remains, as well as tools made of stone, bone, and deer antlers.