Reconstructing the face of a 1,300-year-old girl wearing a golden cross

Based on skull analysis, experts reconstructed the face of a 16-year-old noblewoman buried in the 7th century in a unique ritual.

Reconstructed image of a 16-year-old girl's face with the Trumpington cross. Photo: Hew Morrison — Reconstructed image of a 16-year-old girl's face with the Trumpington cross. Photo: *Hew Morrison*

A team of forensic artists, archaeologists and bioarchaeologists has reconstructed the face of a 16-year-old girl buried in the 7th century in Cambridge, England, Interesting Engineering reported on April 19. The Cambridge Archaeology Unit of the University of Cambridge discovered the bones of this mysterious girl in Trumpington Meadows, a suburb south of Cambridge, in 2012.

To reconstruct the young woman's face, the team used depth data measurements of tissue and skull for a Caucasian woman. Although they are unsure about her eye and hair color without DNA analysis, they believe the reconstruction is a good idea of what she looked like a few months before her death.

Isotope analysis of her bones and teeth suggests that after the age of seven, she likely migrated to Britain from somewhere near the Alps, possibly southern Germany. After arriving in Britain, her diet was significantly reduced. The researchers believe the change in diet occurred near the end of her life, suggesting a relatively short time between migration and death.

"She was very young when she moved in. She was probably not very well and had to travel a long way to a completely unfamiliar place, even the food was different. It must have been very frightening," said Dr. Sam Leggett, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Edinburgh. However, experts have not been able to determine the specific cause of death of the girl despite many scientific investigations.

The 16-year-old girl was buried in a unique “bed burial” with an elaborate headboard. She was placed on a carved wooden bed, wearing a gold and garnet cross. Several gold pins and elaborate clothing were also buried in the grave.

The cross, known as the Trumpington, is one of only five of its kind found in Britain. The most famous example of such a cross was found in the coffin of St Cuthbert.

These artifacts indicate that the young girl was likely one of the earliest Christians in Britain in the 7th century. She was most likely of noble birth, and was buried in a unique ceremony. According to the research team, to date, only 18 such bed tombs have been discovered in Britain.

The study of the 16-year-old girl's remains has helped scientists learn more about human life more than a millennium ago and about important religious periods in Cambridge's history. The facial reconstruction and other artifacts are scheduled to go on display in an exhibition at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA), Cambridge, next year.

Thu Thao (According to Interesting Engineering )

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