Posted on 05/19/2008 3:56:34 PM PDT by blam
Ancient king's face revealed
By using the terracotta facial reconstruction technique a Danish scientist and sculptor have recreated the faces of both King Svend Estridsen and the oldest Dane ever found
King Svend Estridsen has been dead for over 900 years but Danes can finally get a realistic view of what the former monarch looked like thanks to a coroner and a sculptor.
A cast of the king's skull was taken at the beginning of the 1900s and has been used by the two men to create a vivid likeness of the ruler's face using the terracotta technique. The technique is used in many Western countries to recreate the faces of unidentified deceased persons and then shown publicly in the hopes of someone recognising the face.
Along with the king, who is also known as Svend II, the terracotta treatment was also applied Queen Sofie, who ruled in the 12th century. Both monarchs are interred at Roskilde Cathedral. The creations are planned to be put on display at the National Museum in the near future.
The two men behind the facial reconstructions are coroner Niels Lynnerup and sculptor Bjørn Skaarup. Since 2001 they have used the technique to put faces to many long-dead persons, including 17th century nobleman Kaj Lykke and Denmark's oldest known citizen, the Koelbjerg woman of Funen, who lived around 10,000 years ago.
Lynnerup said the terracotta method used by forensic teams results in nearly 70 percent of unidentified bodies being eventually identified. And he said the likenesses the method produces are fairly accurate representations - even the ancient specimens.
'The method is scientifically fundamental,' Lynnerup told Berlingske Tidende newspaper. 'I'm pretty sure that those who personally knew these people would say the likenesses are very close.'
Both Lynnerup and archaeologist Else Roesdahl of Aarhus University believe the reconstructions add life to Danish history.
'Seeing the faces gives people the opportunity to come much closer to the actual players in Denmark's history,' said Roesdahl, who plans to use the constructed faces as illustrations in her coming book about the Danish Viking and Middle Ages periods.
'There unfortunately aren't any portraits of the kings and queens from that period,' she said.
Lynnerup admits that the terracotta process is in some respects subjective. There is simply no way to accurately portray how a person's ears, hairstyle, superficial scars, wrinkles or facial hair may have appeared, he said.
'But when we see how just one of our forefathers looked, we discover that they didn't really look much different from ourselves.' (RC)
GGG Ping.
I keep trying to visualize him from the verbiage; but all I can conjure up is the Burger King with his permanent grin.
I have located two skulls that are claimed to be that of the king -- somewhat different in appearance. Wonder which one, if either, is really his?
Well that’s a real Whopper!
Q) How did they know he was King?
A) He was the only one not covered in sh*t.
I’ve done a google search and checked the links but haven’t found a picture of the facial reconstruction.
Anybody have a link to the picture?
I saw it. He looked remarkably similar to Joan Rivers.
Can we talk?
They went to the trouble of writing the article and they couldn’t even snap a quick pic with their cellphone?
It is journalistic malpractice to print a story like that without a picture.
That king’s ancient, but his teeth are brand-spankin’ new!
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Thanks Blam. |
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My name is Ozymandias. King of Kings. Look on my face, ye ugly bastards and despair.
Good Lord, what did Larry do to get arrested for that mugshot...wearing an ugly, polka-dot shirt?
King was arrested for grand larceny.
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