An undergraduate student was startled after a finely carved ancient head rolled out during a recent excavation – and seemed to smile back at her.

The discovery, made at Skaill Farm on the Scottish island of Rousay , was announced by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Archaeology Institute on July 24.

The site is part of a long-term research project of the institute.

Student Katie Joss was working along a trench wall when the head “stared back” at her, according to the university.

Pictures from the dig show the head with curly hair and a slight smile, unfazed by its missing nose.

In a statement, UHI archaeology lecturer Sarah Jane Gibbon called the discovery “such an exciting find.”

“The carved head is of rich, red sandstone, with yellow inclusions, that was likely qu

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