Leasowe Man image released by Liverpool museum Published duration 26 March 2016

image copyright Museum of Liverpool/John Moores University image caption Leasowe Man was found by workmen in 1864

A computer-generated image of a man who lived in Roman Britain more than 1,600 years ago has gone on display.

The depiction of Leasowe Man, named after the Merseyside town where he was found in 1864, is on show at the Museum of Liverpool.

It said the image "raises lots of questions... about his life".

Curator Liz Stewart said they were unable to ascertain his hair and eye colours but it was "most likely" he had the tones shown in the picture.

The image of "Merseyside's oldest skeleton" was created by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University's Face Lab, which conducts archaeological and forensic work.

image copyright Getty Images image caption Despite the coastal location, Leasowe Man is not believed to have eaten much fish

Radiocarbon dating has previously found that the skeleton, which is kept in the Natural History Museum's collection in London, is between 1,600 and 1,900 years old.

Leasowe Man

The skeleton was found under a bed of peat by workmen repairing the embankment at Leasowe

The owner of nearby Leasowe Castle, Sir Edward Cust, donated the remains to the Royal College of Surgeons in 1864

For more than a century the skeleton was mistakenly thought to be prehistoric, perhaps as old as 4000 BC

It is the only surviving skeleton from Merseyside from the Roman era

Source: Liverpool Museums

Analysis also shows that Leasowe Man was about 40 years old at the time of his death, and was about 5ft 6in (1.7m) tall.

His bones "showed signs of strong muscle attachments, suggesting he was physically active during his life," Dr Stewart said.