Faces from the Franklin expedition
NgLj-3 is an archaeological site on the south coast of Erebus Bay, southwest of King William Island, Nunavut. In 1993, human bones, including two crania, were found on the surface of the site, directly related to artifacts from the Franklin expedition of 1845. It is believed that these are the remains of two people who were first discovered in 1859 by McClintock, presumably in a boat at the site, and were reburied. Among the remains, however, a third skull was found, which was deeply embedded in the ground surface, suggesting that there may be other bones beneath the surface. In 2013, the cranium was excavated and 76 additional human bones were found beneath it, representing a minimum of three individuals.
Frontal views of Cranium No.35 (left) and Cranium No.80 (right) mounted forreconstruction.
Both crania had the characteristics of males, but I will not go into this again as it will become too scientific. A suture measurement showed cranium no. 80 to be between 28-52 years old and cranium no. 35 to be between 21-42 years old. Both showed the typical morphological characteristics of a European. The subsequent facial reconstruction was carried out both two and three-dimensionally.
Two-dimensional lateral and frontal reconstructions of Cranium No.35
The crania were reconstructed classically with clay in different thicknesses to simulate the different tissue structures. In the case of cranium No. 80, removable adhesive tape was used before reconstruction to protect fragile areas and small gaps in the skull. Since only seven upper teeth remained in cranium No.35 and only one in skull No.80, the missing teeth were filled with clay and the mouth of each individual was reconstructed in a closed position, with the skull and lower jaw connected in a normal resting position. Some parts of the skull have been reconstructed according to European standards and will therefore not be able to represent the image 100%.
Two-dimensional lateral and frontal reconstructions of Cranium No.80
The eyebrows were modelled on the top of the cranium in the style of the brow ridges, and facial hair was added in the style common at the time. High-quality medical grade acrylic prostheses were inserted into the eye sockets, and both reconstructions received clothing reflecting the temporal and cultural context of the individuals.
Three-dimensional reconstruction of Cranium No.35 (left) and No. 80 (right)Ā
Both were found, according to McClintock, in a boat which, in his opinion, wasĀ an officerās grave. This suggested that at least one or both of them were among the 14 senior officers. Comparisons with the daguerreotypes revealed similarities between the constructions and two of the officers. For example, the reconstruction of cranium no. 35 shows some similarity with the photo of Lieutenant Graham Gore of HMS Erebus, and the reconstruction of cranium no. 80 and mandible no. 34 shows similarities with James Reid, the ice master on HMS Erebus, but it is not assumed that the remains of NgLj-3 are those of either man.
Daguerreotypes ofĀ Lieutenant Graham Gore (left) and James Reid (right)Ā
It is known from the records of the stone men of Victory Point that Lieutenant Gore had died before the start of the retreat to the Back River; therefore it is not plausible that his remains were recovered from Erebus Bay, about 70 km south of Victory Point. Cranium No.35 must therefore belong to another crew member. Similarly, the conclusive identification of skull No.80 and lower jaw No.34 as belonging to James Reid is not possible, as although facial reconstruction can be used to exclude persons, the identification cannot be confirmed with 100% certainty; however, the final identification of these remains could be made by other sources of information. A separate study of a number of DNA samples obtained from NgLj-3 and other Franklin sites is in progress.
The analyses and reconstructions were made by Douglas R. Stenton, Anne Keenleyside, Diana P. Trepkov and Robert W. Park
