A student reveals the face of a druid woman from the iron age

A student from the University of Dundee revealed the face of one of the oldest Druids of Scotland, who would be over 60 when she died in the Iron Age.

Karen Fleming, a forensic arts and facial identification student, recreated the head of a woman who would have been from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.

The three-dimensional wax reconstruction represents a toothless female, nicknamed "Hilda", who would have been well over 60, an impressive feat. Karen says that Hilda, although many thousands of years old, displays many physical attributes that remain recognizable today.

Karen, from Edinburgh, said: "Hilda was a fascinating figure to replenish.The skull gave her teeth before death, which is not surprising considering the diet of the people of the time, but it was impressive how long she lived.The life expectancy of a woman at that time was about 31 years old, but it is now thought that living longer during the iron age is revealing a privileged background.

"It is impossible to know for sure when she died because we were unable to date the skull, but assuming that the 1833 diary information is accurate, Hilda died at any time between 55 BC and was of Celtic origin, I think she looks like a lot of older women I've met in my life and I'm proud of it. "

By painstakingly reproducing the wax strokes, Karen explained that this year's heatwave had almost melted Hilda before she came back to life.

"It's funny to say it now, but I had to keep some parts of Hilda, like her waxed ears, in the fridge in the summer. As an adult student commuting between Edinburgh, I often had to keep her cool in the car. I'm sure it's a sight that passersby will not forget to see. "

Hilda will be appearing this year at the Masters Show, one of Scotland's most outstanding artistic talent shows. More than 80 students will be presenting their work during the week, from Friday 16th to Sunday 25th August.

Hilda was recreated from an old skull preserved at the Museum of Anatomy at the University of Edinburgh. It is described as one of six "Hebridian druid skulls presented to the Phenological Society of Edinburgh in 1833.

---

---