Come face to face with Scotland’s hero-king

To mark the 750th anniversary of Robert the Bruce’s birth, a new 3D model – produced from a cast of his skull – will be displayed to the public for the first time at Dunfermline Abbey.

The 3D reconstruction is the most realistic likeness of Robert the Bruce to be produced to date, and was created as part of a collaboration between the University of Glasgow and Liverpool John Moores University Face Lab, which released the digital model a few years ago. Dr Martin MacGregor, Senior Lecturer in History at University of Glasgow, first conceived of the model after the discovery of King Richard III of England’s skeleton in Leicester in 2012.

The model was produced using a combination of historical research and scientific analysis with advances in facial reconstruction techniques. The team used a 3D laser scanner to scan the cast of Robert the Bruce’s skull held at Hunterian Museum, which allowed the team to accurately establish the muscle formation from the positions of the skull bones. Using CGI technology, realistically textured skin was then layered over the muscle structure. The nose is the least accurate feature of this facial depiction due to the bone deterioration.

Historians have long debated whether Robert the Bruce suffered from leprosy. The team created two versions of the digital reconstruction, one without leprosy and one with a mild representation of leprosy. For the 3D physical model, only the version showing no visible signs of leprosy was portrayed.

Alasdair Campbell, Interpretation Officer at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said:

"We are delighted to host the most accurate model of Robert the Bruce’s face to date. Robert the Bruce’s story is an important part of Dunfermline Abbey, and we are excited for visitors to be able to visualise this story in a new way, particularly as we celebrate his 750th birthday.”

Dr Martin MacGregor, Senior Lecturer in History at University of Glasgow, said:

“In a lifetime of only 55 years, Robert Bruce achieved the impossible and restored peace and freedom to a war-torn and colonised kingdom. Contemporary sources tell us much about his remarkable life, but virtually nothing about his appearance. This is what persuaded a team of historians, museum curators, geneticists, forensic scientists and medical artists to combine to create a new 3D depiction of the head of the hero-king, based upon the skull-cast taken from a skeleton in a tomb discovered within the ruins of Dunfermline Abbey in 1818. The head is dressed in a helmet surmounted by a crown, as worn by Bruce at his most famous victory, the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. 750 years after his birth in 1274, it is fitting that Dunfermline Abbey, where Robert Bruce was buried in 1329, should host an exhibition which brings us face-to-face with Scotland’s greatest monarch.”

The model will be on show to the public for the first time at Dunfermline Abbey from Monday 29 July until Saturday 7 December.

Other events are also taking place across Historic Environment Scotland to celebrate Robert the Bruce’s 750th anniversary.

We're the lead body for Scotland’s historic environment, a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. We are at the forefront of researching and understanding the historic environment and addressing the impacts of climate change on its future. Across Scotland, we investigate and record architectural and archaeological sites and landscapes and care for more than 300 properties of national importance. HES is also working with sector partners to deliver Scotland's strategy for the historic environment, Our Past, Our Future.

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