Revealing Ava: The Face of a Bronze Age Woman from Scotland
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Chapter 1: Discovering Ava
Meet Ava, a woman who lived in Scotland over 3,800 years ago. Recent scientific advancements have allowed researchers to recreate her likeness, revealing what a member of the Neolithic "archer culture" may have looked like.
Bronze Age skulls — [Photo: Wisi eu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
Cicero Moraes has emerged as an expert in facial reconstructions of ancient individuals. Utilizing 3D digital technology, he has brought to life figures such as Zuzu, a man from 10,000 years ago in Brazil, and even historical figures like St. Valentine and Mary Magdalene. His work is significant in enhancing our understanding of ancient peoples.
Section 1.1: The Discovery of Ava
Ava's remains were serendipitously uncovered in 1987 during road construction in Achavanich, northern Scotland. The discovery was made within a stone "coffin," revealing the bones of a young woman estimated to be between 18 and 25 years old. Named after the village of her discovery, Ava lived approximately 3,800 years ago and stood at an impressive height of 171 centimeters for her time.
Achavanich, northern Scotland — [Photo: Ewen Rennie, licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license]
The burial site also contained various artifacts, including a fragment of cow bone, flint pieces, and vessels associated with the Bell Cup culture, which originated in the Iberian Peninsula. Archaeological evidence indicates that this culture was largely based on semi-pastoral herding of livestock, particularly cattle and horses, alongside hunting activities.
Subsection 1.1.1: Insights into the Bell Cup Culture
These ancient peoples primarily utilized reflex bows for hunting, with arrows tipped with small flint heads, typically heart-shaped. They protected their forearms with shallow slate guards to prevent injury from bowstrings, a feature that has led historians to label them as the “archer culture.” Their lifestyle also included fishing and foraging, with indications that they had skills in metalworking, particularly with copper for arrowheads.
The burial customs of this culture provide further insights; graves often featured the deceased with their arms bent at the elbows and palms near their faces. Men were generally buried on their left sides, while women occupied the right, with their graves containing items such as jewelry crafted from bone and amber, and weapons for men.
Chapter 2: Reconstructing Ava's Appearance
Moraes's latest facial reconstruction of Ava illuminates her possible physical appearance. He utilized existing CT scans of her skull, emphasizing the use of anatomical and statistical data to create a depiction even in the absence of a mandible. "I traced the profile using markers for soft tissue thickness that indicate skin boundaries," he explained in an interview with Live Science.
The first video, "Reconstructing 'Ava': Achavanich Beaker Burial Project," delves into the process and significance of Ava’s reconstruction, highlighting the intersection of technology and archaeology.
A 2016 study suggested that Ava had light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, but a subsequent 2018 DNA analysis contradicted this, revealing she actually had brown eyes and black hair, with skin darker than contemporary Scottish individuals. "Given her features and stature, Ava may have been regarded as quite striking in her era," Moraes noted.
Section 1.2: The Genetic Legacy of Ava
Research indicates limited genetic overlap between Iberian and Central European populations of this culture, suggesting minimal migration influence. However, in the British Isles, the arrival of Bell Cup peoples marked a significant demographic shift, with newcomers replacing approximately 90% of the original populations.
The second video, "Facial reconstruction of a Bronze Age woman from Scotland," explores the implications of Ava's DNA findings and how they inform our understanding of prehistoric populations.
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