Without DNA analysis, forensic artist Hew Morrison could not be sure of her precise eye and hair colourFacial Reconstruction Reveals the Face of an Ancient Anglo-Saxon Girl Buried in Trumpington
The face of a young girl who passed away centuries ago has been unveiled through the art of facial reconstruction. Discovered in 2012 at Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, her skeleton was found buried on a wooden bed, adorned with a gold and garnet cross on her chest.
This remarkable facial reconstruction will be showcased as part of an exhibition at Cambridge University. Dr. Sam Lucy, an expert in Anglo-Saxon studies, expressed her astonishment, stating, "As an archaeologist, I'm used to nondescript individuals, so it was truly wonderful to see how she might have looked." The facial likeness was meticulously created by scientific artist Slash Morrison, using measurements from the girl's skull and tissue depth data for Caucasian females.
The reconstruction revealed that her left eye was slightly lower, approximately half a centimeter, than her right eye, a noticeable feature during her lifetime. Further analysis of the seventh-century girl's bones and teeth provided insights into her short life.
It was determined that she was likely born near the Alps, possibly in southern Germany, and later migrated to the flat fenlands of Cambridgeshire, England, after the age of seven. Additionally, her diet underwent a significant change upon her arrival in Britain.
Dr. Lucy explained, "We now know that her protein consumption decreased, suggesting that she consumed more meat and dairy products in southern Germany than upon her arrival in Trumpington."
A study conducted by Cambridge University last year revealed that Anglo-Saxon elites were mostly vegetarian before the Viking era. Previous analysis had already indicated that the girl had been suffering from an unidentified illness before her death.
Dr. Sam Leggett, who assisted in the isotopic analysis at Cambridge University prior to her relocation to the University of Edinburgh, stated, "She was probably very unwell. She traveled far to an entirely new place - even the food was different. It must have been terrifying."
The burial represents one of only 18 bed burials discovered in the UK and the presence of the gold and garnet cross signifies her Christian faith, as well as her noble or royal background.
Dr. Lucy stated that research into European bed burials "suggests the movement of a small group of young elite women from a mountainous region in continental Europe to the Cambridge area in the latter half of the seventh century." The girl may have arrived as a noblewoman or to join a religious institution like the nearby Ely Nunnery, and she was part of a "pan-European network of elite women heavily involved in the early church."
Archaeologists unearthed a gold and garnet cross during the skeleton's excavationDr. Lucy concluded, "She's a wonderful example of bringing the past to life." The exhibition will also include artifacts found with the burial, such as the "Trumpington Cross" and the decorative headboard of the burial bed.
The exhibition, titled "Underneath Our Feet," explores the traces of human habitation, work, and death in Cambridgeshire spanning millennia. It features ceramics and textile discoveries from "England's Pompeii" at Shouldham and a young clergyman's elephant ivory belt buckle unearthed in the graveyard of Cambridge's Augustinian Friary.
The exhibition is currently being held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge and will run until April 14, 2024.
