© Christopher Rynn/University of DundeeThe digitally recreated face of the Pictish man.
After his murder, the approximately 30-year-old man's remains sat undisturbed in a cave on the Black Isle of the Scottish Highlands for more than a millennia. Archaeologists found the man's skeleton in a strange position; rocks pinned down his arms and legs, his skull was fractured, and his legs were crossed. Forensic artists published a virtual reconstruction of his face in 2017, catapulting him into internet fame.
Now, a new analysis indicates that this fellow, known as Rosemarkie Man, was likely a prominent person in his community, perhaps a member of royalty or a chieftain, according to news sources.
The Picts were a group of tribes that lived in what is now Scotland during the Iron Age and Medieval times. They routinely fought against the Romans, who dubbed these tribes "Picts," likely from the Latin word "picti," which means "painted ones," as the Picts had distinctive tattoos and war paint.
Comment: It's interesting that he appears to be of high status and perhaps feasting followed his death but that he was brutally murdered, his limbs were pinned down by stones and he was interred in an unusual position.
As for the facial reconstruction, in studies of subjects that are of such an age we must bear in mind that there is a significant amount of artistic license permitted due to the deterioration of soft tissue, as detailed in the paper Facial reconstruction - anatomical art or artistic anatomy?: The time frame for this man's death is also interesting because it has been suggested that a great deal of upheaval was occurring throughout this period: