Video: Face reconstructed from skull of first Dutch Neanderthal

The skull fragment of the first known Dutch Neanderthal, Krijn, that was discovered 20 years ago will soon be presented in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden with a realistic facial reconstruction.

The Neanderthal was estimated to have lived between 50 to 70 thousand years ago. His skull was discovered 20 years ago in Zeeland. The fossil was collected from the bottom of the North Sea by a suction dredger. The skull was put on display in 2009 at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, the national archaeological museum in Leiden.

More recently, paleo-anthropological artists worked on reconstructing Krijn’s face as realistically as possible. During their mission, they researched characteristics of the North Sea fossil and found digital matches comparable with the Neanderthal skull. They also utilized the most recent knowledge about Neanderthals and their appearance, such as eye, hair and skin color.

One special discovery about Krijn is that he has a small bump above his right eye. This was the result of a small tumor.

At the time the Neanderthals roamed the planet, the global temperature was colder than it was now. Mammoths, the woolly rhinoceros, deer and horses also wandered the land. Krijn was an inhabitant of the Doggerland, an area off the coast of the Netherlands that is now underwater.

The exhibit in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden was named for Doggerland, and will predominantly focus on this historical period. Visitors can come and see Krijn between September 7 and October 31.