The Vig skeleton is one of two more or less complete aurochs skeletons found on the island Zealand in Denmark. It is remarkable for its size (described as nearly two meters in the literature [1]) and for the fact that it shows several damages from arrows. It was even found with two arrowheads. Probably the individual was wounded by several arrows, fled into a marsh and died there. It is now exhibited in the National museum of Denmark.
Recently I did a life reconstruction based on a photo I was sent by Markus Bühler. The result is down below.
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| The Vig specimen at the National museum of Denmark, © Markus Bühler |
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| Life reconstruction of the Vig bull |
I did the life reconstruction by drawing over the skeleton, so it should be as accurate as possible. As it was most likely a male, I reconstructed it as a bull. The eel stripe is grey, as historic references such as von Herberstein or Anton Schneeberger suggest.
The Vig bull has comparably upright and weakly curved horns. The horns are not really typical for an aurochs bull. The horns of the Prejlerup aurochs, which is the second complete skeleton from Zealand, is quite the contrary: it has smaller, forwards-facing and inwards-curving horns. Some of the better Heck cattle bulls have horns reminiscent of that of the Vig bull.
[1] Frisch: Der Auerochs - das europäische Rind. 2010.
Interesting thoughts.
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