The oldest portrait in the British Museum (probably) | Curator's Corner S2 Ep 1
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- Over many years, Curator Alexandra Fletcher has formed a particularly strong bond with one of the… older people in the British Museum. In fact, she was one of the first to see his face in over 9,500 years. The Jericho Skull is arguably the oldest portrait in the British Museum - a human skull from the ancient city of Jericho which had plaster applied to it to form a type of early facial reconstruction.
The Jericho Skull is fascinating to look at, but since being discovered in 1953, archaeologists weren’t able to find out much more about this man - until now. Using CT scanning, 3D printing and facial reconstruction, Alexandra and her team have finally been able to reveal the man behind the plaster.
Find out more in Room 3 until 19 February 2017:
The Asahi Shimbun Displays
Creating an ancestor: the Jericho Skull
15 December 2016 - 19 February 2017
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Listen to the British Museum podcast episode on the Jericho Skull’s discovery on:
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I like how the lady talks about the skull as an individual. Priceless
So respectful.
I wish one day my skull to be picked up and coveted like this
But this is an individual. This is a real man. The piece is made from his actual skull which was found at his burial site. The sculpted clay is just sitting on top
She's not wrong though.
it sounds like she's getting choked up. i'd get a bit emotional, too... not only was this skull a person, they're a person who lived and died thousands of years ago. we get to hear part of his story, peek into his culture, and get a glimpse of what he might've looked like, partly because of her. she's one of the few people who can help him do that. just amazing
Being able to see the finger impressions in the clay plug is so awesome! Somehow humanises the skull even more
@ 3:20
This gave me MAD chills
Thank you for these presentations. I am poor and unable to travel to London to see this material. Your presentations are much more interesting than books. I am so glad I found your channel. If I watch one a day, I feel enriched. Although I live in the first world, without funds to travel, life can seem poorer. You've given me a gift and I thank you.
Me too. I would love to visit the British Museum one day.
@scott goodman I don’t know if you’ll ever read this but i’d like to really thank you, i went 4 times in London and went twice in the museum, one was with school so i had to hurry and didn’t had the chance to really see what i wanted and the second time with my parents, sadly the museum was shutting because it was late. But the next time i’ll be there i’ll think about you and about those who just wish to be there just one day and how lucky i am to be in this beautiful museum, i’ll take a full day just for visiting and enjoy it for those who sadly can’t go. So i wanted to thank you for making me realize how these little things matters and how life (past and present) is precious, i truly hope with all my heart that one day you’ll be able to see this wonderful place! So thank you scott, wish you the best 🙂
@@Tamara-th2ri Thank you for your kind best wishes. I just now, July 2020, saw your post and feel richer for having read it. I am able to get out and about my local state, Ohio, but distant travel is too costly. I thank God I still have my health and hope you shall be able to continue to visit exotic museums. God bless you.
More Curators Corner please. It's the best part of the channel.
We're currently finishing off filming season two. Expect new episodes every other Monday
NeonsStyle that's so good to hear. I'll never be able to visit, but these small peeks into the corners of your collection are wonderful.
Apostrophe please.
This is beyond fascinating! I had no idea these even existed.
Ingeborg Anne Rakvåg
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Has an interest in history/science - check.
Is very attractive - check.
Surely this cannot be?? The oldest portrait - and most valuable treasure - of the BM is Dr Irving Finkel!! 😊👍
👏 Obviously, you're absolutely right!!! 👍
Idle Onlooker rumor has it, the portrait is of Mr. Finkel’s father. 😁
@@valsptsd814 back then we hadn’t invented portraits
Underrated. 😂
I'm envious of the bliss she feels towards her gig. This is awesome
This series is such a treat! I teach History and Social Studies and I take every opportunity to share these videos with students!
Do they know what else he was buried with that might indicate his importance? Weapons for a warrior, etc. (Also, the curator has a lovely voice.)
I love your name! A name worth remembering, indeed.
These skulls are normally separateed from the bodies and buried in the floor in the house (just the head) and this was done rather regularly perhaps as a part of ancestor worship. Jericho has been inhabited for so long that most of the houses from these periods have been destroyed/looted which is why there are so few of them
Have they ever tested this facial reconstruction method on a present day skull where they can compare it with photographs afterwards?
Really?
Yes. This reconstruction method has been used to, for example, identify unknown remains from supposed crime victims which have been left in the wild. The results of the reconstruction, when published in the papers, have brought forth an identification, a sort of "Do you recognize this person?". This identity then will be compared to known photos and, when possible, DNA for confirmation.
Yes. Forensic artists that do facial reconstruction practice for many years with skulls and then are shown the photo after. It's a critical part of their learning.
another great video! Thanks BM! The Curator's Corner is definitely my favorite series. Hearing passionate people talking about their research is always great :) More please! :)
I think I just fell in love. What a delightful presenter. Fascinating video with a charming and talented expert.
I enjoyed the Curator's Corner very much! The Jericho skull is fascinating! Imagine it being 9,500 years old!!! Those people were the ones that lived in Jericho long before the Hebrews, or even Abraham, came to that country! WOW! ~Janet in Canada
The facial reconstructions are so fascinating.
Remarkable. The plaster portrait and the reconstruction with technology and artist are very similar. I love curators corner 💙
Fascinating topic, and very well presented. Thank you!
Love the Curator's Corners. Thank you.
I thrive on watching things like this.
It's what I imagine that diamonds and fame are to a materialistic person.
Extremely interesting. I hope to catch the podcast. Thank you🎈
We hope you do! It's live, so just look for "The British Museum podcast" with the podcast app of your choice
This channel and this episode is another reason that I do not bother with television. Thank you
It’s nice when you can put a face to the person .I know in this case the plaster gave a crude portraits of him ,but the one your team did brought him back to life.I find that amazing.I wonder too if they were leader or important people of the area and that’s why they were treated like this?, I have never heard of this being done before.I have heard of skulls being covered with gold,family members being cleaned every year and celebrated and other strange things in the past ,but not this.Fascinating though.Thank you for the interesting video
This series is one of the best things on youtube
To be a fly on the wall of that Museum...
Thanks very much Alexandra, that was fascinating and the first time I have seen a plastered skull. ❤🇬🇧
all these guys are so compelling ,and dedicated
My god what a magnificent piece.
Thank you for sharing this. I didn't know this was even a thing that people did - with the plaster across and the shells for eyes - absolutely fascinating. If only we could have just a little bit of time with the people way back when to ask them a few questions about why.
Really cool and interesting! Thank you for the great video!
This video is making me consider a trip to the Museum. What a short window for such an intriguing artifact.
You should go! It's great :)
Do go! The Museum is an absolute wonder!
Your videos are such a treat! So interesting and informative. Great work! It's obvious you love your work and your enthusiasm makes your videos that much more awesome! Thank you
This is amazing!
Pat on the back who thought up this idea of sharing from the different museums , bringing history to our doorstep
Its been my life's wish to visit the british museum, but sadly will never see it :(
Why
What's stopping you? It's an amazing place. I take a train down to London Euston and a 10 minute walk. I don't even go anywhere else in London just spend the entire day in the museum.
@@kekistanihelpdesk8508 Probably money. It would be lovely if people from all across the world could visit it, but some people can't afford to fly halfway across the world to visit a museum
I love a reconstruction like this ... fascinating ...
This is fascinating! I had no idea The British museum had objects from old Jericho. That's so cool! I read about this culture in university, was this man a part of the interior of a house?
I remember reading that the people of the culture kept parts of their ancestors in walls, floors, and other interior details inside their homes.
Her voice is so young?? Like she sounds younger than she is????
Enthusiasm does that.
If you look at her closely, she has a really young face. With make-up and hairdressing she would look amazing. Speaking purely as an artist
@@philmcdonald4778 so does getting molested at a young age
Non-smoker voice?
More like a Smoking Hottie!
And I like the video. 😉
can dudes not see a woman and post cringy shit in the comments ty
Was going to go to bed but instead found this wonderful channel.
This is great! It will be of good use for my presentation on Mortuary practice in Near East during PPNB. Thank you!
These videos are great! The staff...the whole bunch...totally engrossing presenters.
I had no idea that these even existed! this is so amazing!
Where have you been???
Amazing work
Thank you so much, this was fascinating!
If you took a bone sample from the already broken portion of the skull, could you still get DNA from it? Would you be able to get more detail for his 3d rendition? Like eye and hair color?
Teeth I think are more easily used for DNA.
Amazing video! How did the finger imprints on the dirt survive? we're they in some kind of a tomb on in the ground?
In Ancient Middle East people used to bury their dead relatives under the ground of their own houses and sometimes separated the head from the body and decorated it, to keep it as a memory of their relatives and ancestors, like in this case :)
As she said at the beginning, the skull was originally covered in plaster. So, the plaster would have covered the fingermarks and preserved them. Very interesting video.
It's interesting that this portrait was constructed much like the way in which the subject's face was reconstructed, only they used the actual skull rather than a 3-D model. They used to do police reconstructions of murder victims in much the same way in the 1980s.
I have always wondered how accurate this method is.
Astonishing technology. It is a privilege that this is available to us.
Neat perspective on the way you present your user name..😁
Please make a full length feature on this skull! 😍 Sure Netflix would be helpful!
Wait they discussed how this skull was created on horrible histories. Fantastic video and thank you for bringing back my childhood memories
This is extremely cool.
I'm very impressed by this presentation. Does the skull give you any idea of the person's day to day life? The 3-D print shows a male-looking face; how can you tell he person's gender? Do you know how the person died, and how old the person was at the time of death? Dr. Fletcher mentions the skull was found in a burial site with other individuals. Why were they buried together?
This is amazing! This is a good use of technology
Fascinating.
This is amazing! The way you bring back to life people who lived some 10,000 years ago. If you don't mind my asking, if it's only a skull, how do you know it was a man and not a woman?
3:20 wow that's crazy and spooky.
Just some random priest or individual carefully packing soil and clay into a skull for his finger indentations to be marked eternally.
The facial reconstruction is my favorite part lol
The rendering didn't include the pinched skull. Why not? May as well have just changed his whole head.
That was weird, something tells me they either had a very good reason for excluding it, or the feature wouldn't be visible with the skin and muscle. These people aren't the kind of persons that "half-ass" things.
I have a Heidelbergensis portrait in flint. The whole of a heidelbergensis face. He looks proud. Also some nice silhouette profiles of Aechulian and Clactonian faces which are cast from sun orientated sundials. Amazing art from Heidelbergensis.
Thank you.
I've always wanted to see a scan of a living person's skull and then do the muscle by muscle recreation and see how close it is to the real person. (The artists doing the recreation wouldn't see the real person until after).
Fascinating
Awesome vid!
Amazing 👌
I was essentially a plasterd skull during my student days too
Amazing
4:03 how do they know about that mole on his left cheek
From the clay, you can see a raised bit, they probably extrapolated from there.
Impressive
The recreation of the skull does not show that it was bound or shape changed? What is up with that?
That is amazing.
Did you happen to have a nick-name for him? This was fascinating!
Very interested.
This thing will give me nightmares.
Shouldn't have watched this before bed. Fuckin' nightmare fuel.
wow, amazing
Awesome
Amazing!
Why when i search singa skull on the search bar it shows this video, are they connected somehow?
Was the lower jaw found with the skull? Was DNA able to be extracted?
Brava!
we also would have accepted "what is the creepiest portrait in the British Museum?"
it is a really interesting artifact though.
very good
Oh my god this is so cool!!!
Is that actual plaster or clay?
Am I the only who noticed how much this lady looks like Benedict Cumberbatch?
Dead person's family: gee..thanks. You shouldn't have.
Man I would look so good if I traveled to the past!
Did you give him a nickname? Something like Jericho Joe?
The face of the real man from Jericho 7000 BC doesn't look Middle Eastern but African. Fascinating! The druids if Stonehenge in England were Black too. Feels topical...
What about Singa Calvaria From Englo-Egyption Sudan (Sudan)?
Are there youtube videos or web accessible articles proving the validity of face reconstruction from skulls? it may be because I am face blind (I have Asperger) but I have trouble believing such a feat is possible with a degree of accuracy high enough to be recognizable. I am not saying the science is not real, I just want to see evidence of it for my own understanding.
For persons not in the know, face blindness does not mean I literally do not see faces, it just means that facial recognition is not instinctual for me, it's more like reading a very long word in a long sentence with many contextual meaning while being distracted. And to confuse matters there are peoples I have no trouble recognizing despite me not being close to them.
The method is used in forensic science and criminology - you could search that and probably find something. It has been good enough to identify victims of crime.
@Grundy Malone This one does not look deranged. He looks amused. www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/world/europe/uk-cheddar-man-skeleton-skin.html
Could you please please please add Arabic caption to all your curator corner? ❤️❤️❤️❤️
why is it so small
The eyes shine bright out of the water...........looking like eyes.
That voice!
Does he have a nickname?
I'm sorry, but the facial reconstruction is bogus.
I'm not saying they can't know the depth of facial tissue, muscle etc, but they have taken a guess at the 'ethnic'
look on the person, based on who lives in that area now (or even the last 2 thousand years)
To say they would have looked like that 9 thousand years ago is plain conjecture.
Imagine studying one object for eight years!
and then telling us everything we need to know ,in less than five minutes , lol
That ‘Natural History Museum’, they never let you borrow their gear.......
Could listen to this wee woman talk aw day, x
oh my god please move it away from the edge of the table!! ahhhh!!!!
So amusing a comment. I had the same thought. Then I reminded myself that Mrs. Fletcher is a professional. Of course she wouldn't knock it off the table accidentally, but I surely would! : )