Look familiar? Scientists reconstruct the face of a man who was decapitated in Scotland 2,000 years ago

A man who was mysteriously decapitated nearly 2,000 years ago has been brought back to life through a remarkable facial reconstruction.Experts used his skull to create a strikingly lifelike image of the individual, whose remains were discovered near a Roman military fort in Scotland.The man lived during the Roman occupation of Britain and is thought to have died between AD 142 and 165.Researchers from National Museums Scotland, who worked with cranial anthropologist Dr Christopher Rynn to make the reconstruction, believe he was around 50 years old when he died.But while they have uncovered what he may have looked like, the circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery.Analysis revealed that the man had been decapitated after death, although experts do not believe he was an executed criminal.Instead, his burial appears to have been carried out with care and respect.'The rite of post-mortem decapitation was not uncommon but the reasons for it are hard to identify and probably changed over time,' the team said. 'It may have been used as a form of punishment, linked to beliefs around the way a person died, or motivated by supernatural concerns.' The man, who was around 50-years-old when he died, had a thick beard and a nose which had previously been brokenThe man's skeleton was found near the Roman fort of Inveresk, just outside modern-day Edinburgh.Researchers say chemical clues preserved in his remains suggest he grew up in southern Britain before ending up there.Why he travelled hundreds of miles north is still uncertain. However, experts suspect he may have worked alongside the Roman army stationed in Scotland.Evidence from his skeleton also indicates he lived a physically demanding life – his nose had been broken at some point and later healed, and he also suffered extensive bone growth around his right elbow.This was possibly caused by arthritis or an old injury, and would have severely limited movement in his right arm.'Pronounced wear on his front teeth suggests he compensated for this reduced mobility by holding objects between his teeth,' the researchers said.As a result, they think he was unlikely to have served as a frontline soldier wielding a sword.Instead, it is possible he worked in a support role, such as a craftsman, servant or military clerk.This man was one of a series of remarkable burials from around the Roman fort at Inveresk.Burials are rarely discovered in Roman Scotland and these are particularly unusual because four of the six adult men buried here were decapitated after they died. Experts used his skull to create a strikingly lifelike image of the individual, whose remains were discovered near a Roman military fort in Scotland The team generated several different facial reconstructions for the man, to represent variations in how he may have appeared. The one shows him looking younger with dark hair and a large cut on his noseThis enigmatic practice is seen across Britain, but these burials are the first Scottish examples and are amongst the earliest known in Britain.'The burials at Inveresk are exceptional and incredibly rare survivals from Roman Scotland,' Dr Jess Thompson, Curator of Osteoarchaeology at National Museums Scotland, said.'Taking an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of human remains allows us to understand the physical attributes of these individuals as well as their life stories.'This facial reconstruction by Dr Chris Rynn unites cutting-edge science with artistic vision to create an instant connection with the past, offering a dynamic portrait of what he may have looked like and who he may have been.'The team generated several different facial reconstructions for the man, to represent small variations in how he may have appeared.One shows him with a thick, greying beard, while another shows him looking younger with dark hair and a large cut on his nose.Dr Fraser Hunter, Principal Curator of Prehistory and Roman Archaeology at National Museums Scotland, added: 'I have worked with the finds from Roman Inveresk for years, but this facial reconstruction finally gives me a sense of what one of its inhabitants looked like.'Archaeology tells us about people who had hopes and fears just like us, and it is a privilege to present a vision of this resident of Inveresk using contemporary scientific techniques.'We cannot know how exactly he looked, but we think his family and friends would have spotted the likeness.'This man's skull will be displayed alongside the digital facial reconstruction at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, in an exhibition called Roman Scotland: Life on the Edge of Empire.