A new exhibition revealing how Durham University archaeologists pieced together evidence to establish the identity of 17th century Scottish soldiers whose remains were unearthed in Durham. Find out how the latest scientific techniques revealed the soldiers’ story, how they lived, why they died, and what became of those who survived.
The story of the Scottish soldiers whose remains were discovered in two mass burial sites in Durham city centre in 2013 will be told in a new exhibition opening this summer.
The exhibition, entitled Bodies of Evidence: How Science Unearthed Durham’s Dark Secret, shows how the latest scientific techniques have revealed the soldiers’ story – how they lived, why they died, and what became of those who survived.
Their skeletons were discovered during excavations in Durham in November 2013 and, for the first time, visitors to Palace Green Library will come face to face with a 3D reconstruction of the face of one of these men, who lived and died more than 300 years ago.
The exhibition shows how a multi-disciplinary team at Durham University pieced together evidence to establish details about the identities, lives and appearance of the soldiers, who were imprisoned and died in Durham following the Battle of Dunbar in 1650.
The exhibition includes a 3D facial depiction of the face of one of the soldiers, created by researchers at Face Lab, part of Liverpool John Moores University, using one of the excavated skulls along with evidence provided by the Durham University archaeology team.