The Reconstruction of Aak the Iron Age Boy

As humans, we are highly visual creatures that often require a visual representation of our past before we can really engage and connect with it.

For this reason, through a fine balance between science and art, scientists have endeavoured to reconstruct the features of our ancient ancestors as accurately as possible in order to aid our understanding of our evolution, and, also - in a way - to bring our predecessors back to life. This process has been especially helpful when considering the story of Aak the Iron Age Boy.

The discovery of Aak

In the town of Uitgeest in the Netherlands, alongside a ring ditch which is believed to have been a burial mound, the grave of a young child was unearthed. DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating deduced that the skeleton belonged to a 9 year old boy and estimates that he lived in approximately 200 BC, and therefore the Late Iron Age - a tumultuous time in Ancient Frisia, when  the Roman Empire was expanding and claiming  Celtic and Germanic states for their own.

Thus, quite aptly, the boy was named Aak, meaning iron or ‘made of iron.’  At that time, Ancient Frisia was a coastal area of low lands and small islands located on the path between the Romans and Germania.

Much about this burial site remains a mystery to scientists, such as the discovery of the remains of two cows that were entombed in the same mound at a later date, as well as the fact that the surrounding land contained even more unusual graves. Furthermore, the position in which Aak was buried is considered strange; he was arranged in a supine position with his legs bent at the knees and drawn up to the same level as his head.

The reconstruction of Aak

Despite the mysterious elements around Aak's burial, thanks to the art and science of facial reconstruction, we are able to visualise what the boy would have looked like during his lifetime. This includes what Aak might have worn - the era in which he lived is strongly associated with farming in the area, so one of the models of Aak was dressed in a shepherd’s robe and given a staff as well as a goat to help people fully envision how he lived.

What’s more, in an attempt to demonstrate to the local children that our ancient ancestors were not so disparate from modern people, another reconstruction of Aak was dressed in contemporary clothing which depicted him as streetwise.

Nevertheless, it is the privilege of being able to see Aak’s face which allows us to connect with him in a more personal way. In order to do so, experts from the Hildes House museum began by taking a 3D replica of Aak’s skull, which they scanned, printed, and then painstakingly fabricated his bone structure, muscles, and skin over based on what they knew about his origin, gender, and age at time of death.

After the reconstruction of Aak was unveiled, he became hugely popular, and was widely discussed in the national press, on the evening news, in magazines, radio, and was even made a special guest on a nighttime talk show. The reason for his acclaim was likely to do with the fact that people felt uniquely connected to one of their ancient ancestors in such a visual and accessible manner.

Conclusion

Do you have DNA links to ancient Frisians? If you would like to know whether you could have a DNA connection with them and, specifically, Aak the Iron Age Boy, then My True Ancestry can help. Using your DNA results, we can link you to your ancient ancestors and who you truly are.