Revealed: Face of man who lived in Roman Scotland almost 2,000 years ago

The face of a man who died on the Roman frontier in Scotland almost 2,000 years ago has been reconstructed from skeletal remains ahead of a major exhibition.

An international team of experts used cutting-edge scientific techniques to determine the man's genetic make-up and to help paint a picture of his life story.

They discovered he was likely to have been in his early 50s when he died at Inveresk, East Lothian, sometime between AD 140-165.

He was believed to have been born in southern Britain and had travelled hundreds of miles to the shores of the Firth of Forth.

Analysis of his skeleton found that during his life he suffered several injuries and was certainly not a soldier at the time of his death as he could not have swung a sword.

Experts noted that the man had limited use of his right arm following extensive bone growth around the elbow joint, which was likely caused by septic arthritis.

He had also suffered a broken nose, which had healed.

The man's skull will be displayed alongside the digital facial reconstruction in the Roman Scotland: Life On The Edge Of Empire exhibition - which opens at the National Museum of Scotland (NMS) in Edinburgh on 14 November and runs until 18 April 2027.

Dr Fraser Hunter, principal curator of prehistory and Roman archaeology at National Museums Scotland (NMS), said: "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."

The man was among a number of people whose remains were found close to the Roman fort at Inveresk, near Edinburgh.

Experts said his burial was unusual because he was among four adult men buried at the site who had been decapitated after dying. The men are said to be among the earliest known examples of the practice in Britain and the first in Scotland.

The reasons for post-mortem decapitation are not clear, but it may have been linked to supernatural concerns or beliefs around how the people died, or even as a form of punishment.

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

"We can investigate where these men had travelled from to reach the frontier, what they were doing there and what became of them.

"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 exhibition will explore the experience of life on a frontier, from the soldiers who tried to conquer the land to the communities living around each military base.

It will also look at the experiences of local people whose way of life was threatened by the Roman invasion.

NMS said the facial reconstruction was informed by an osteoarchaeological assessment carried out at the museum, previous isotopic analysis led by scholars at Durham University, and ancient DNA research by a team based at the department of archaeology at the University of York and Harvard Medical School.

Dr Rynn combined the findings to create the reconstruction.

(c) Sky News 2026: Revealed: Face of man who lived in Roman Scotland almost 2,000 years ago