A prehistoric man, thought to have drowned around 4,000 years ago, has been reconstructed to show his likely appearance during his life. Experts at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim used his bone measurements and genetic information to develop the depiction.
Unearthed in 1916 during roadwork near a farm on the island of Hitra off the western coast of Norway, the skeleton is that of a man who passed away in his mid-20s, dating back to the late Stone Age, according to Newsweek.
Research suggests the man may have drowned as the area was submerged
Researchers believe that the location where his body was discovered, now above water, was submerged by about 13 feet of seawater at the time of his death, leading to speculation that he might have succumbed to drowning.
“We believe that he drowned. Some of the bones were remarkably well-preserved, likely because they were rapidly buried under shell sand on the ocean floor soon after his death,” stated Birgitte Skar, an archaeologist at the NTNU University Museum, in a press release.
Analysis indicates that the man was approximately 5 feet, 6 inches tall. DNA testing on him and other contemporaneous individuals with similar genetic makeup enabled researchers to determine his hair, skin, and eye color—finding he had blonde hair and blue eyes.
Skar noted that the presence of certain objects with the remains, such as a dagger and a bone arm guard shaped to protect the wrist during archery, suggest he may have been a “warrior.”
The exact circumstances of the Hitra man’s death remain unknown, whether accidental or due to conflict. However, he lived during a period of significant social and cultural shifts, including the beginning of farming practices.