Scientists recreate face of Roman-era man from his skull

Scientists claim to have been able to recreate what a Roman-era man might have looked like, nearly 2,000 years ago.

His skeleton was discovered near an ancient Roman fort in Inveresk, a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

And his bones told a remarkable story.

Using DNA analysis, scientists were able to find out where this man grew up, where he travelled to and what his life was like before he died in Scotland.

"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," said Dr Fraser Hunter at National Museums Scotland (NMS).

Studies of the skeleton suggest that the man grew up in southern Britain before travelling hundreds of miles to Scotland's Firth of Forth.

The experts believe the man had had several injuries throughout his life, including a broken nose and an infected elbow.

It's thought he would have been in his early 50s when he died, sometimes between AD 140 to 160.

The man's skeleton was found with a number of other men's skeletons, buried at Inveresk.

NMS curator Dr Jess Thompson said: "The burials at Inveresk are exceptional and incredibly rare survivals from Roman Scotland."

The story of this Roman-era man will be told through a special exhibition at NMS in Edinburgh.