Mr. Richard Neave
Department of Art in Medicine
School of Biological Sciences
University of Manchester

Facial reconstruction was pioneered by Richard Neave, an ‘artist in medicine and life sciences’ at Manchester University, as a tool in forensic science and archaeology in Britain. Co-written with John Prag, Keeper of Archaeology at Manchester Museum, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to its methods and application in archaeology.

Average depths of facial tissues are well known at a number of sites on the skull and these are used as the basis of reconstruction. A cursory glance at a skull reveals that large areas of the face have no underlying bone structure which can be used to predict facial shape – the eyes, the mouth, the shape of the nose, for example – and much of the finished reconstruction is therefore guesswork. Despite this, facial reconstruction has proved effective in identifying skeletal remains in a number of important forensic cases, and some of Neave’s remarkable successes are reviewed early in the book. The ability of a facial reconstruction to capture the attention and imagination of the public is of paramount importance, and it is this aspect which makes facial reconstruction valuable in archaeology.

Prag and Neave explore the use of facial reconstruction as an analytical technique: is the portrait of a noblewoman on an Etruscan sarcophagus that of the individual encarcerated within? Are the individuals buried in grave circle B at Mycenae relatives? In the latter case, I believe facial reconstruction is stretched beyond its limits. It is not yet possible to establish whether skulls belong to close biological relatives from measurement and statistical analysis, and the degree of subjectitity in a facial reconstruction must introduce further inaccuracy. It is often tempting to find what one is looking for.

Facial reconstructions continue to attract public interest and offer a means of generating empathy with those whose lives we hope to portray. Despite this, the technique is almost entirely ignored by academic archaeology. This well-written and accessi ble introduction is therefore particularly welcome.

Dr Martin Evison is an archaeologist working on facial reconstruction in the Department of Forensic Pathology at Sheffield University