The head of a dog from more than 4000 years ago has been recreated from a skull found in a tomb on Orkney.
Forensic artist Amy Thornton used a 3D print from a CT scan of the Neolithic creature’s skull to create the model, building up muscle, skin and hair.
The dog was about the size of a large collie and had features similar to those of a European grey wolf.
In all, 24 dog bones and skulls were discovered when the site at Cuween Hill was excavated in 1901. The remains of eight humans were also found.
Radiocarbon dating of the dog bones showed canines were placed in the chamber more than 500 years after the passage tomb was built, suggesting they were ritually buried.
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Historic Environment Scotland interpretation manager Steve Farrar said: “Dogs clearly had an important place in Neolithic Orkney as they were kept and trained as pets and guards and perhaps used by farmers to help tend sheep.
“The remains discovered at Cuween Hill suggest dogs had a particularly special significance for the farmers who used the tomb about 4500 years ago.
“Maybe dogs were their symbol or totem. Perhaps they thought of themselves as the ‘dog people’.”
The model will go on display in Orkney this year.
The Cuween Hill cairn suggests there was a belief in an afterlife in Neolithic times, with evidence of complex burial rites.
