Snip

Forensic scientists have reconstructed the face of a 9,000-year-old female teenager based on a skull archaeologists found in a Greek cave. Experts claim that the reconstructed face reveals how much our facial features have changed over the millennia.
Girl’s Face Seen Again After 9,000 Years

According to National Geographic , the name of the girl is Avgi which in English translates to Dawn, a name archaeologists picked because she lived during what's considered the dawn of civilization. When Avgi lived in Greece, at the end of the Mesolithic period around 7000 BC, the region was transitioning from a society of hunter gatherers to one that started cultivating its own food.

Archaeologists don’t know much about her life or causes of death, even though they can now see the ancient girl’s prominent cheekbones, heavy brow, and dimpled chin. Avgi's face was revealed by University of Athens researchers at an event at the Acropolis Museum last Friday.

Many Scientists Involved in the Face Reconstruction

In order to reconstruct the girl’s face accurately, many experts were involved: an endocrinologist, orthopedist, neurologist, pathologist, and radiologist were all needed to precisely produce Avgi’s looks. The reconstruction team was directed by orthodontist Manolis Papagrigorakis, who said at the museum event, “While Avgi's bones appeared to belong to a 15-year-old-woman, her teeth indicated she was 18, "give or take a year," according to National Geographic .

Furthermore, the University of Athens also worked with Oscar Nilsson, a Swedish archaeologist and sculptor who specializes in reconstructions. He has reconstructed so many ancient faces that he even has a favorite period to work on: "the Stone Age," he said via National Geographic . "[The Stone Age is] this enormously long period so unlike our age, but we are physically so alike," he adds.