Bocksten Man shows his face after 700 years
Nearly 70 years after a boy made an exciting find in a bog south of Gothenburg in 1936, the skeletal remains of a person, now known as the “Bocksten man,” are now on display for all to see.
Professor Claes Lauritzen made a copy of the skull and had doll maker Oscar Nilsson reconstruct the face with clay and silicon. Thursday’s exhibit opening allows the public , for the first time in nearly 700 years, to see how Bocksten Man may have appeared.
Using skills similar to those used in forensic medicine, researchers now have an idea of what the man looked like, under what conditions he lived, and how he died.
According to Lauritzen, a skull expert, the 30 to 35-year-old man was believed to have lived in the 14th century, and died as a result of three blows to the head.
Other theories about the man’s death suggest he was murdered for recruiting soldiers. Another theory says he was a tax collector.
Bocksten Man wore a cloak – which was still in relatively good condition - a coned hood, and pants of wool. All are all evidence of the man’s Middle Age era, and his body leads researchers to believe he was a man of higher social standing.
Research on the Bocksten Man continues. It is still unknown what color eyes and hair he might have had or why he had a branch from a straw roof through his chest.
The exhibit is at the Länsmuseet in Varberg, close to where the body was found.
Comments
See Also
Professor Claes Lauritzen made a copy of the skull and had doll maker Oscar Nilsson reconstruct the face with clay and silicon. Thursday’s exhibit opening allows the public , for the first time in nearly 700 years, to see how Bocksten Man may have appeared.
Using skills similar to those used in forensic medicine, researchers now have an idea of what the man looked like, under what conditions he lived, and how he died.
According to Lauritzen, a skull expert, the 30 to 35-year-old man was believed to have lived in the 14th century, and died as a result of three blows to the head.
Other theories about the man’s death suggest he was murdered for recruiting soldiers. Another theory says he was a tax collector.
Bocksten Man wore a cloak – which was still in relatively good condition - a coned hood, and pants of wool. All are all evidence of the man’s Middle Age era, and his body leads researchers to believe he was a man of higher social standing.
Research on the Bocksten Man continues. It is still unknown what color eyes and hair he might have had or why he had a branch from a straw roof through his chest.
The exhibit is at the Länsmuseet in Varberg, close to where the body was found.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.