Long Live The King! Facial Reconstruction Reveals The First Image Of Robert The Bruce, King Of Scotland

Long live the king! A facial reconstruction reveals the very first image of Robert The Bruce, King Of Scotland. Using the advancements in technology for facial reconstruction, scientists and historians were able to reconstruct what Robert The Bruce would look like, all from the use of the alleged skull of the King of Scotland.

The successful reconstruction of the face of Richard III was what inspired Dr. Martin MacGregor of the University of Glasgow to team up with Liverpool John Moores University(LJMU) in a new project to reconstruct the face of another royal, Robert The Bruce. The team led by Professor Caroline Wilkinson of Face Lab LMJU was the same team that did the facial reconstruction of Richard III.

Using the alleged 700-year-old skull of Robert The Bruce, the Face Lab team produced a 3D replica of the skull through a process called stereolithography, according to Live Science. Professor Wilkinson, the craniofacial identification expert, established the muscle formation from the positions of the skull bone. This helps in determining the shape and structure of the face.

According to Professor Wilkinson, what the reconstruction cannot do was to depict the tone of skin, the color of the hair or the color of the eyes based on just the skull. Using the DNA, the team could establish the lacking eye and hair color. However, in the case of Robert The Bruce, not only was there no accurate and reliable visual documentation of the King of Scotland but also the fact that there is only one surviving piece of bone that can be used.

In order to get the DNA, the only surviving piece of bone, a toe bone, of Robert The Bruce would have to be destroyed in the process. Opting not to use the bone, the facial reconstruction team relied on the statistical evaluation of the probability that certain hair and eye color combination determined that of Robert The Bruce.

The facial reconstruction of Robert The Bruce took two years to do. The team presented two versions of the facial reconstruction. The first one depicts the King of Scotland in his prime years.

In his prime years, Robert The Bruce had a large, angular head that would be supported by a muscular neck and a stocky frame. This would suggest that Robert The Bruce had a body of a seasoned warrior, which is obvious considering his long campaigns against other Scots and the English army. This type of body is typically found in athletes today.

The second version of the King of Scotland's facial reconstruction was depicted with a mild case of leprosy. The second version depicts Robert The Bruce with a disfigured jaw and nose, tell-tale signs of leprosy. Based on historical records, Robert The Bruce suffered from a mysterious illness that left him so weak he could only move his tongue. The experts determined that it was leprosy that the King of Scotland was suffering from but it did not manifest on the face as it was not documented.

According to Dr. MacGregor, "This is the most realistic appearance of Robert the Bruce to-date, based on all the skeletal and historical material available." A BBC documentary, The King's Head, following the reconstruction of Robert The Bruce will be aired on Dec. 15.