Applied Anthropologist Profile: Oscar Nilsson, Archaeologist, Sculptor, and Forensic Artist

Oscar Nilsson working on reconstructing a face (Source: Nilsson, 2025)

 

Recreating the faces and bodies of the dead is no easy task, but it is one that forensic artists must do when a positive identification of a victim cannot be otherwise made.  These forensic reconstructions, which often focus on individual’s faces, are based on over a century’s worth of data and information about facial attributes.  The location and placement of the facial muscles, skin depths based on an individual’s weight, and more must be understood in order to construct an accurate recreation.  Using this knowledge, along with pegs and clay, a forensic artist can masterfully bring the deceased individual back to life, or at least reconstruct what they may have looked like in life. 

 

These very methods have been employed outside of forensic contexts and criminal investigations to create life like restorations of what historical figures and people of the past may have looked like.  This work has been undertaken by the Kennis Brothers, but they are not the only individuals working within this area.  Today’s blog post will discuss another archaeologist, sculptor, and forensic artist, Oscar Nilsson.

 

Oscar Nilsson has been reconstructing ancient and historical figures’ faces for almost 30 years.  He opened his studio, O.D. Nilsson, in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1996.  Since then he has been responsible for over 80 creations of men, women, and children from throughout human history that are on display in museums across Europe and the United States.  His most notable creations include those of Peruvian and European royalty, a woman accused of being a vampire in Poland, ancient Vikings, Ice Mummies of South America, and more.

 

While much of Nilsson’s work is based on forensic sculpting techniques he acknowledges that there is a bit of creative license required of his work.  While there are precise methods for understanding how to recreate the form of a human face there is no specific rules on knowing what someone’s skin, hair, or eye color was, the texture of their hair, what facial hair would have been present, etc.  This is where his bioarchaeological knowledge comes into play.  He used to rely on ancient demographic data to make educated guesses on these specific features, as well as cultural ones concerning hair styles.  Today, when and where available, he instead turns to paleogenetic data to better inform him on what these features were to create a more accurate visage.

 

He also relies on various other newer technologies to more accurately create his works.  If and when the skull is too fragile to handle or is fragmentary and/or missing portions he relies on CT scans to help recreate the skull.  Again, he relies on paleodemographic data to estimate what the missing cranial features may have looked like.  Nilsson has also ventured into using Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) to scan and review skulls to identify any features that the naked eye may have missed. 

 

Ultimately, he is concerned with accuracy in his work and wants to bring to life the ancient individuals he is tasks with working on as realistically as possible.  This attention to detail has made him a highly sought after artist, as well as given him a reputation of excellence.

 

References

Archaeology Magazine. (2024, November 1). 400-Year-Old Face of “Zosia” Reconstructed. Archaeology Magazine.

Cottier, C. (2025, February 7). Art and Science Combine to Reconstruct the Faces of Our Ancestors. Discover.

Fox, A. (2020, June 3). See the Face of a Man Whose Skull Was Mounted on a Stake 8,000 Years Ago. Smithsonian Magazine.

Katz, B. (2018, February 2). Experts Reconstruct the Face of a Mesolithic-Era Teenager. Smithsonian Magazine.

Nilsson, O. (2025). OD Nilsson - Contact & Requests. Retrieved from Art & Science by O.D. Nilsson: https://www.odnilsson.com/about-me/

 

Applied Anthropologist Profile: Mallory Love, Matchmaker

Mallory Love, Matchmaker

 

As anthropology is a dynamic field that involves studying all aspects of what it means to be human the employment opportunities really are quite endless.  This may seem like a farfetched and overreaching statement, but the work of Mallory Love, an elite matchmaker, really reinforces this statement.  Today’s blog post will discuss how she uses her anthropological expertise and decade plus of professional experience to find her clients what they are looking for: true and lasting love.

 

Mallory Love grew up in Iowa.  In 2013 she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Cultural Anthropology and Art at Texas State University.  She did not enter the world of matchmaking until 2017, however.  According to her personal statements on her matchmaking website, Match Made by Love, she struggled to find her way as a professional.  She ultimately relied on her intuition and anthropological education to pursue her passions in matchmaking.

 

Love became employed for a short time as a matchmaker with Matchmakers in the City, a matchmaking service out of Los Angeles.  From there she ventured out on her own by starting her own matchmaking business.  While she continues her independent work she has since become the Chief Operating Officer for Love and Matchmaking, LLC.  Her employers report that she is a highly sought after matchmaker because of her cultural understanding and expertise.  While many matchmakers use a psychological approach and focus on the individual, learning about their personality, habits, likes/dislikes, and biases, Love goes beyond this to understand their cultural expectations and experiences with love and dating as well as marriage and family expectations.  She also employs a little linguistic anthropology to help her clients learn how to harness their communication skills to not only better communicate but also listen to potential matches. 

 

It is this cultural understanding that is often credited as part of Mallory Love’s success within the matchmaking industry.  She is praised by her employers, peers, but most importantly, her clients.  All of this goes to show the power of understanding and appreciating culture, and how it can and does fast track one to success in any and all fields, including matchmaking.

 

Works Cited

Brooks, Amber. "Love and Matchmaking™ Thrives as a One-Stop Shop for Single, Busy Professionals in All 50 States." Dating News 5 November 2019. Electronic.

Fellizar, Kristine and Carolyn Steber. "Experts Say These 20 Incompatible Qualities End Relationships." Bustle 28 June 2021. Electronic.

Love And Matchmaking, LLC. "Meet Our Matchmakers." 2018. Love And Matchmaking, LLC. Electronic. 29 April 2025.

Love, Mallory. Coaching by Love. 2025. Electronic. 29 April 2025.

—. LinkedIn Profile: Mallory Love. n.d. Electronic. 29 April 2025.

Love You to Death: What A Study of Ancient Goat Teeth Tells Us About Past and Present Animal Care

Figure 1: Location of Tepe Yahya Site (Source: Melina Seabrook)

 

In contemporary society it is easy to see examples of people who love their pet animals.  There are entire industries dedicated to providing the best food, healthcare, and more to pets.  People even go as far as dressing their pets up, carting them around in strollers similar to those one would see for babies, and more.  Modern humans are crazy about their pets.  But at what cost?  Is this a new phenomenon?  An article by Harvard Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology*, Melina Seabrook, addresses these very questions.

 

Melina Seabrook is an archaeologist who focuses her studies on human-animal relationships.  Much of her work has centered around prehistoric sites in the Middle East and Africa.  In a publication she authored in Sapiens she discussed some of her work at the site of Tepe Yahya, located in modern day Iran (Figure 1).  The site dates to 3,000 to 7500 years ago.  Initially a small village the community grew, urbanized, and flourished due to its presence along a major trade route between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.  Urbanization brought about various changes to the community and its members, including the rise of agriculture, animal husbandry, and regionally specific crafts, specifically stone pottery that can be found in various neighboring areas. 

 

The site had been previously excavated several decades before Seabrook began her work in 2021.  She was interested in studying the materials from this site because they had been excavated but not previously analyzed.  She concentrated her efforts on sheep and goat mandibles (lower jaws) recovered from trash piles, suggesting that these animals were used in domestic settings.  Her analyses found that sheep and goats were harvested for specific purposes.  Younger animals (a year or less in age at time of death) were killed and butchered for meat, while older animals (between 2 and 5 years old at death) were used for wool or milk.  

 

Figure 2: Goat mandible with split molar tooth (Source: Melina Seabrook)

 

Her analyses also led to a peculiar trend, however.  She discovered several older goats (age 6 and older) who lived far longer than their livestock counterparts, but they also suffered extremely painful dental diseases.  These goats had missing teeth (lost before they died), very worn down teeth (to their jaw bones), and split molars (Figure 2).  This latter injury was very unusual, and it was ultimately discovered that this was an injury caused by a bridle (i.e., a rope or leather strap placed in the animal’s mouth) used as a means of tethering or leashing them.  It appears that these specific older goats were used for the collection of milk for the family or individual that owned them.  They were not used as livestock.  They would have received preferential treatment compared to livestock in that they would have been fed a healthier diet to ensure they were able to produce milk for a longer period of time.  They would have appeared to have been well cared for, but in exchange the goats suffered debilitating dental diseases that would have brought about extreme pain.

 

Seabrook addresses this situation as being not that different from modern caretaking of “beloved” animals.  While humans may believe they are doing best by their cherished pets or animal companions they may be causing undue harm.  In the case of the ancient goats they suffered as they were taken care of.  This is no different than when people overfeed their pets, leading them to suffer from obesity and obesity related diseases (e.g., diabetes), or when they cart them around in strollers versus allow them to walk and get in appropriate exercise.  Ultimately, Seabrook’s work opens up avenues for greater understandings of how people view animals throughout history and today.   

 

*It is important to note that upon successful completion of her doctoral studies Melina Seabrook will be the second Black woman awarded a PhD in Archaeology at Harvard University.

Bibliography

Seabrook, Melina. "What Ancient Goat Teeth Reveal About Animal Care." Sapiens 12 September 2023. Electronic.