The face of a young woman adorned with a laurel wreath, clad in elaborate clothing and unusual cork sandals has been revealed nearly 1,700 years after her death.
He is one of 16 people from the Roman-era town of Aquincum in present-day Hungary whose faces have been recreated for “Once We Were Like You”. new exhibition In the Aquincum Museum in Budapest. The exhibit combines skulls excavated in and around the ancient city with scientifically informed estimates of what their owners might have looked like in life.
The six are reconstructions of surreal silicone models, complete with artificial eyes, human hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and, in some cases, beards. The exhibition, which runs until October 31, features men, women and a child who lived during Roman rule in the region.
“The face is the most important feature to recognize a person,” emcee gabora forensic facial reconstruction an expert who sculpts silicone faces told Live Science in an email. Although the skull may not reveal every detail of a person’s appearance, the reconstruction shows museum visitors the face of “an actual human being rather than skeletal remains,” he said.
Entrance to the “Once We Were Like You” exhibition at the Aquincum Museum in Budapest.
(Image credit: Gábor Lakos Aquincum Museum Budapest)
Reconstruction of a Roman face
Aquincum stood on the Danube border roman empire Which is now Budapest. The city was home to a diverse population from the 1st to the 4th centuries, and genetic and archaeological analyzes of the individuals on display point to connections with areas including present-day Italy, Scotland and Syria. Sarmatian group from the Eurasian Steppe and celtic The communities that lived in this area before Roman rule.
The remains of the people who lived here have also been excavated and are still being found during excavations of cemeteries.” statement From the museum.
Creation of the reconstructed face begins with a high-resolution 3D CT scan of the original skull. Experts then create an exact 3D-printed replica, allowing experts like Gabor to work without repeatedly handling or disturbing the ancient remains.
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“The latest scientific advances – including 3D scanning, CT imaging, archaeogenetic (ancient DNA) analysis and facial approximation research – are incorporated whenever possible,” he said.
“If a hyper-realistic reconstruction is required, I make a mold and cast the face in colored silicone, finishing it with real human hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and, where appropriate, a beard,” she said.
Image Credit: ARC-HEO Art-Reco Studio
These images show how Gabor brought the faces of Aquincum to life, starting with the preserved skull.
Image Credit: ARC-HEO Art-Reco Studio
Gabor uses over 60 different anatomical landmarks to recreate a face from a human skull.
Image Credit: ARC-HEO Art-Reco Studio
Using 3D scans, Gabor is able to bring a face to life.
Image Credit: ARC-HEO Art-Reco Studio
Ancient DNA helped inform the reconstruction of certain characteristics, such as hair and skin color.
Image Credit: ARC-HEO Art-Reco Studio
This hyper-realistic reconstruction uses real human hair, eyebrows and eyelashes.
Ancient dna Sometimes potential can provide additional clues about pigmentation, including eye, hair and skin color. But the results are still estimates, not pictures. For example, many details of the hairstyle, expression, and appearance of the person are usually much speculation.
woman with laurel wreath
Gabor said that of all the people he recreated, it was especially difficult for him to forget the woman known as Jablonka Road Mummy.
The woman’s skeleton was relatively well preserved, but the soft tissue on her face had decayed, leaving only the skull. A laurel wreath still rests on her head, and according to Gabor, was included in her burial. nice clothesA spindle for weaving, bird-shaped cork sandals and a painted male figure were placed near her feet. Archaeologists have suggested that the portrait may represent her husband or father, although his identity is unknown.
Silicone reconstruction of an ancient construction worker.
(Image credit: Gábor Lakos Aquincum Museum Budapest)
“Based on these descriptions, archaeological context and anthropological data, it was archaeologists who pieced together her story, while I reconstructed her face,” Gabor said. “That was very touching.”
Other individuals selected for exhibition include a young girl who died in childhood and a woman interpreted as a nurse or physician who was buried in a children’s cemetery. Some other reconstructions include a construction worker, a military officer and a blacksmith.
Two women appear to have met particularly violent or punitive ends. They were buried face down with their legs tied together, Gabor said. Interpretations of the exhibit link one woman to accusations of witchcraft and another to poisoning, although such accounts are historical interpretations rather than evidence-based findings from the burials.
Gabor stands in front of a display showing the reconstructed face of a child from Aquincum.
(Image credit: Gábor Lakos Aquincum Museum Budapest)
“Each reconstruction is a journey,” Gabor said. “As I shape each face, I find myself reflecting again and again on that person’s life, and by the end, they no longer feel like anonymous remains, but like real people.”
Analysis of the skeletons shows that many individuals suffered hard physical labor, periods of hunger, and chronic inflammation. This evidence led museum curators to conclude that many represented the less wealthy inhabitants of Roman society – people whose names and experiences were unlikely to appear in surviving written history.
For Gabor, the physical reconstruction offers something that a digital image cannot: visitors can stand face-to-face with a life-size person, walk around the model and study it from different angles. Their hope is that the encounter will encourage visitors to think beyond the scientific data and imagine the full lives that once surrounded the excavated bones.
“When you look at a face, you don’t just see bones on display,” Gabor said. “You see a person – someone who was born, who grew up, who worked, who loved, who laughed, who struggled, who fought challenges, who raised children. Some were sick. Not everyone died of disease. Some died in accidents. Some through violence. And ultimately, they all died. A sense of shared humanity helps arouse empathy.”
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