A PREHISTORIC man – who was shot in the head with an arrow 5,600 years ago – can be seen for the first time.
An incredible reconstruction of the Bronze Age man led to the shocking discovery that his horrific injury was not the blow that killed him.
Credit: Cicero Moraes/Pen NewsScientists reconstructed the body of a prehistoric man[/caption]
Credit: Cicero Moraes/Pen NewsHis skeleton was initially found in Denmark[/caption]
Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen via Pen NewsThe Bronze Age man was found with an arrow piercing his skull[/caption]
The skeleton of the Porsmose man was discovered in 1946, in a peat bog near Næstved, Denmark.
This body showed two horrifying arrows that had struck through and pierced the prehistoric man’s head and his breastbone.
Scientists have been able to reveal the tragic man’s agonised face for the first time after they rebuilt his likeness from his bones.
Despite the terrifying and gruesome arrow shot through his skull, experts revealed something counterintuitive during the process.
This arrow did not kill the prehistoric human, but the one in his chest proved to be fatal.
The lead author of the new study, Cicero Moraes, revealed why this reconstruction project was unique.
He said: “The objective is usually to know what the individual’s face looked like.
“But in the present work, we were also interested in knowing what injuries could have been caused to the anatomical structure.”
The scientist also shared why the chest piercing proved to be fatal despite the horrifying head shot.
Moraes added: “Although the arrow in the face is visually striking and uncomfortable, and could be fatal depending on the situation, it was the one in the chest that hit important structures.”
The deadly arrow – which was made of bone – was thought to have pierced through two major veins, bringing his life to a tragic end.
Scientists did not stop with his head and chest as they used photographs and measurement data to map out the rest of his body.
Researchers described the face they constructed as a “strong” one.
The prehistoric being stood at around 1.66 metres tall and was about 35 to 40 years old when he was killed.
Credit: Linette Bach via Pen NewsHe was found in the Holmegaard bog, close to the Porsmose bog in Næstved[/caption]
Credit: Andreas Franzkowiak via Pen NewsScientists believe an arrow to his chest had killed him[/caption]
Credit: Cicero Moraes/Pen NewsScientists believe the arrow pierced through two of the man’s major veins[/caption]
Despite this extraordinary development, mystery still shrouds this tragic Bronze Age man.
The man could have been killed, executed, or died in battle.
After he was shot in the face and the chest, his body either fell into the water or was thrown there.
He was thought to have been a murdered farmer by The National Museum of Denmark, who house his remains.
What was the Bronze Age?
Here’s what you should know…
The Bronze Age was the period of time between the Stone Age and the Iron Age
It is characterised by the common use of bronze at the time and also the start of some urban civilisations
Flint was replaced by bronze for tools and weapons
In Europe, the Bronze Age occurred from around 3200 to 600 BC
During this time period, ancient empires started to trade luxury goods
Bronze tools helped develop city building
Metalworks, farmers and other craftspeople would come together in cities to trade goods
With stronger weapons, came larger-scale wars and battles not seen before this time period
The wheel and the ox-drawn plow were invented which helped farming flourish
Bronze Age Britons ate cattle, sheep, pigs and deer, as well as shellfish and birds
In the wetlands, they hunted wildfowl and collected reeds for building the roofs of their roundhouses
The first forms of writing were developed by some civilisations
Credit: Cicero Moraes/Pen NewsCicero Moraes (pictured) was the lead author of the new study[/caption]
Credit: Cicero Moraes/Pen NewsIncredible images have shown how the the man’s agonised face could have looked[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
