Face Of Woman Who Died 2000 Years Ago Reconstructed By Researchers

Do you ever wonder if people who live generations from now will know what you looked like? Once upon a time, it would have been unforeseeable that anybody would ever be able to look at a face from the past in three dimensions. But here we are, with mighty tools at our disposal, and we can make it happen. We can see our ancestors as if they were alive today, as they never would have imagined possible. This incredible reconstruction shows how.

SHARE this amazing piece of history today! 

The latest, cutting-edge technologies were put to use at the University of Melbourne recently to give us an unprecedented look at the face of a woman who lived more than 2000 years ago.

Her mummified remains had been sitting in a vault in the university's basement for just such an occasion.

Named Meritamun by the researchers, the woman lived to be between 18 and 25 years old in Ancient Egypt.

Now her face has been resurrected thanks to CT scanners, 3D printers, medical research, and a bit of art.

After the research team retrieved Meritamun's head from the vault, the researchers put it through an intensive CT scan.

CT scans have been used to get a look at mummified remains since the 1990s, according to Dr. Janet Davey, a forensic Egyptologist, but the technology has improved a lot since then.

The scans showed, among other things, that Meritamun's eyes were artificial, not an uncommon practice among embalmers in Ancient Egypt.

She also had many abscesses in her teeth, likely causing her pain and affecting her health. 

The next step took things to an all-new level...

Gavan Mitchell, an imaging technician, took the CT scan data and created a 3D model from it.

The 3D printer took 140 hours to create Meritamun's skull – just imagine the amount of work that went into making sure no errors would pop up along the way!

From there, a blend of medical science and art took over.

With a model of the skull to work with, facial reconstruction could begin.

The researchers and the sculptor took into account muscular structures prevalent in Egypt and the depth of skin tissues when making their model.

The result? An amazing look back in time at a person who lived 2000 years ago.

She's not simply an object of fascination, however. At a university, students will be able to study Meritamun and learn valuable lessons about anatomy, pathology, and how our environments affect our lives. SHARE this incredible piece of history today!