Don't expect a glossy, National Geographic look for this one...

books:

	• Making Faces: Using Forensic and Archaeological Evidence (Texas a & M University Anthropology Series, No 1) John Prag, Richard Neave Texas Monthly Press, 1997 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Don't expect a glossy, National Geographic look for this one...

This book is a fascinating chronicle of the work of several major forensic reconstructionists from around the globe, and the major techniques they employ. The faces they are re-creating are those of men like Phillip II of Macedonia (Alexander the Great's father), King Midas, King Agamemnon, Egyptian mummies, and bog people. Seeing history coming to life under their masterful craft is deeply rewarding, though the pictures are not always of the highest quality. Some of the photos are grainy, and very few are in well-detailed color. Still, each photo captures something unique about the projects they are working on. A great deal of the book is given over to text describing the historical figures and then the forensic techniques. It's a wonderful selection for an astute student of history and reconstructions as a whole, and is a fresh look at forensic facial reconstruction (particularly 3-D) for those studying the field from a more law enforcement standpoint. As a University student in an anthropology program, as well as a forensic art class, I found this book to be a lovely merging of the two fields, bringing the past to life in a way that has only recently become possible.

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A fascinating blend of art and science

The book provides an in-depth look at the collaborative work of John Prag, an archaeologist, and Richard Neave, a medical artist, whose dedication and rigorous methods have developed what has come to be know as the Manchester Method for facial reconstruction.

The book begins with a history of reconstruction methods to-date, with a brief look at how the skull was treated historically followed by a summary of more recent attempts to develop a systematic approach, mentioning a number of notable failures along the way. The second chapter is about techniques and the forensic evidence that they follow in order to achieve what in some cases are remarkable likenesses.

The next 11 chapters detail various projects they have tackled, including Egyptian mummies, an Etruscan lady, a Minoan priest and priestess and arguably the most significant, Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great's father. Each chapter goes into some depth about the historical background of the subject, the archaeology of the find and the specific, often daunting, challenges presented by the remains. These include often fragmented skulls, missing sections and even significant distortions caused by fire and other factors.

Although the book is aimed chiefly at the layman there is by necessity a fair amount of technical terminology - both medical and archeological - but this is not overdone. The notes at the back are extensive and are followed by recommendations for further reading referenced to each chapter; anyone interested in following up on any aspect of the various projects will have no shortage of material to seek out.

My main reservation is that it does tend to go perhaps into too great detail on side issues. It would also have benefited greatly from better editing and proofreading.

On the whole an interesting mix of historical mystery, drama, detective work and artistic insight.

PLEASE NOTE: the English edition (paperback only) is significantly cheaper from Amazon.co.uk (£7.99 currently - about $11.50!!), you would be well advised to order it from them.

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Fun reading, with occasional frustrations

A book by two people who specialize in recreating faces of historical figures from their skulls. This book covers some of their best known reconstructions: Philip of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great), King Midas, and Lindow Man to name a few. Most of the discussion is great fun (especially re: Philip), but the authors occasionally get a bit tedious (most notably they repeat, over and over again, the injunction not to judge how a face while in the process of reconstruction).

fascinating

This book describes the author's techniques for reconstructing faces from skulls, both modern and ancient. the illustrations are wonderful, the text is very interesting. I would like to have seen a little more analysis of the weaknesses in the technique (mainly what author calls the "soft tissues," and possible approaches to increasing accuracy, or alternative versions of the same skull with soft tissue variations). this is a quibble, though.

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Forensic archaeology has come into its own in recent years. The science has been making news in odd corners of the world for being used to identify the remains of long-lost Japanese soldiers on remote Pacific islands and for examining whether 19th-century American presidents might have met with foul play. In this accessible study, archaeologists John Prag and Richard Neave look into the world of "making faces"--reconstructing human forms from bits of bone, giving physical presence to the long-since dead. Among their subjects are King Midas of ancient Greek legend and the famous "bog man" of Lindow Moss, England.

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