Scientists were able to recreate the image of a person whose skeleton was found on a shipwreck 400 years ago (photo)
The skeleton of a woman who died in the wreck of the Vasa warship 400 years ago has been successfully reconstructed by Swedish archaeologists.
Scientists have found that the woman (they named her Gertrude) was young at the time of her death, probably married and had children. She was dressed in traditional Swedish clothing and had blond hair and blue eyes.
Gertrude's reconstruction was created based on her skeleton as well as historical records of the Vasa wreck. Gertrude's skeleton was found aboard the ship in the 1960s, but her gender was not known until 2023 when genetic analysis revealed that she was a woman in her mid-20s.
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"Gertrude's reconstruction gives us a unique look at the life of a woman in 17th-century Sweden. She was a young, beautiful woman who was probably happy and satisfied with her life. However, her life was suddenly interrupted by the Vasa accident and she died at a young age," Live Science reports, citing Swedish forensic expert Oskar Nilsson, who created the skeleton reconstruction.
The specialist added that Gertrude's reconstruction helps scientists better understand the lives of people who lived in Sweden 400 years ago. It also serves as a reminder of the tragedy of the Vasa wreck, which took the lives of more than 30 people.
Nearly 20 skeletons were found after researchers raised the Vasa, a 17th-century Swedish warship that sank in Stockholm Harbor on its maiden voyage in the 1960s. Scientists determined that one of these skeletons named "G" was a man they later named Gustaf.
Earlier this year, however, genetic analysis determined that G was not a man but a woman.
Scientists recreated a three-dimensional image of a Bronze Age woman they named "Ava" earlier in Scotland. The remains of this woman were found back in 1987 and after recreating her face, scientists received new data on the life and appearance of people of this era.
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