A life-size 3D model of a smiling old woman with a cane recreates the life of a woman who he lived nearly 800 years ago in Norway, and the model is a life-size sculpted reconstruction based on his skeleton.

Ellen Grav, an archaeologist at the University Museum of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), introduced the life-size model, dubbed ‘Tora’, to the world via Facebook.

The model is now on display as part of an exhibit at the NTNU museum and wowed all visitors.

Tora: the woman who inhabited Norway 800 years ago

Tora’s name was selected in a public poll conducted by NRK, a Norwegian broadcasting company.

Tora was born in the late 12th century and lived in Trondheim, a city in central Norway. At the time, the medieval metropolis was growing rapidly and was inhabited by artisans and merchants, according to the museum.

Grav worked with Thomas Foldberg, a make-up artist in the Danish film industry, to make Tora as realistic as possible.

Unlike many facial reconstructions that involve the use of X-rays or CT scans,”Foldberg turned to Tora’s skeleton to help create a 3D model of what this medieval woman might look like. For Tora’s skin, Foldberg used silicone and even “hand painted liver spots and other blemishes on his body,” Grav said.

“Each strand of hair from the eyebrows, eyelashes and facial hair is attached one by one,” added the archaeologist. “It’s a truly incredible work of art.”

For the Tora costume, Marianne Vedeler, professor of textiles in the Department of Archeology at the University of Oslo, studied archaeological finds in the area dating back to the time Tora lived.

Next, Vedeler turned to local seamstresses to make a dress for the modelsaccording to the museum.

“Nille Glæsel, an expert Viking and medieval seamstress, made the Tora costumes for us using medieval techniques,” Grav said.

“He spun the thread, woven the fabric and colored it with Rubia tinctorum, also known as dog rose. He then hand-stitched the dress according to the reconstruction. He also made the shoes. We have a lot of shoe exhibits from Trondheim, so it was pretty easy to figure out what shoes should look like.“said the archaeologist.

As for Tora’s friendly expression, “it was very important for us to give the audience a feeling of warm encounter, to better connect with the medieval human being,” said Grav.

“People always tend to think that the Middle Ages were dark and heavy, but there was also joy and happiness, people loved each other and some even lived long. Tora’s life was hard, but he must have had some good days too. I hope people learn that they looked like us, that they felt like us, and that they were people like us too.”