Taking advantage of extraordinary advances in the study of ancient DNA, researchers from Fudan and Xiamen Universities in China completed a detailed facial reconstruction of a Chinese emperor who...
A woman who lived in 16th century Italy was buried in a most unusual fashion. Originally excavated in a mass grave of medieval plague victims several years ago, the woman’s skull was found with a...
Explore Queen Nzinga's remarkable life as a warrior ruler during the 17th century in Africa. Born around 1583 into the Mbundu ruling family of Ndongo (present-day Angola), Nzinga faced constant...
The Terracotta Army , a remarkable archaeological marvel from ancient China, has long captivated the world with its silent army of clay soldiers. These soldiers , dating back to the Qin Dynasty (...
Hadrian, born in 76 A.D. in Italica, Spain, faced adversity when both his parents passed away, leaving him a ward. He developed a deep affinity for Greek culture and literature, earning him the...
Despite her fame Joan of Arc’s appearance remains shrouded in mystery due to the absence of contemporary depictions. Efforts to digitally reconstruct her likeness based on a statue from Orleans and...
Cleopatra, the famed Egyptian queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty , is a historical figure who has captured the imagination for centuries. Born in 69 BC, she ascended to the throne at just 18 years old...
Born Gaius Octavius and ascending to become the inaugural Roman Emperor, Augustus left an indelible mark on history. Roman sculpture of his era, marked by its devotion to realism, conveyed not only...
Over 70 years after her severed skull was first discovered buried deep within a cave in the Czech Republic in two different halves, scientists conducted genome sequencing to determine that it was the...
In 1907, the remains of a teenage boy who lived over 8,300 years ago were discovered in a Mesolithic cave located in Randaberg on the west coast of Norway. Dubbed as “one of the oldest skeletons ever...
Alexander the Great is undoubtedly one of the most legendary figures in history, known for his military prowess and his brief but impactful life. By the age of 18, Alexander fought alongside his...
Cleopatra , the last pharaoh of Egypt, is one of the most iconic figures in history. She was known for her intelligence , beauty, and powerful political acumen. Despite her significance , historians...
In a “case of raw violence” in medieval Italy, four sword blows to the head killed a man, a team of scientists investigating the case 700 years later has determined. Interestingly, the study...
A medieval warrior’s skull, recovered from a mass grave outside Visby, a city on the Swedish island of Gotland, has been brought to life by a digital artist. Killed in the 1361 AD Battle of Visby, in...
Based on the DNA extracted from a 19th century skeleton, a forensic artist has recreated the face of a man who was buried, but never laid to rest. Mr. John Barber’s body was later dug up so that his...
A highly-skilled 3D artist has brought back to life a 4,000-year-old Stone Age woman’s skull. This story can only be written after 300 grueling hours of work by archaeologist and artist Oscar Nilsson...
A Mesolithic woman, now known as “Elba the Shepherdess, who lived 9,300 years ago has been brought back to life by facial reconstruction engineers. However, Elba the Shepherdess’s remains were...
Ever since mummy KV55 was discovered in 1907, it has generated deep interest, debate, and controversy. The big issues have been identifying the KV55 mummy in ancient Egyptian history and combining...
A 1,000-year-old skeleton was unearthed in the bowels of Prague Castle in 1925 and the man’s identity was corrupted by Nazi scientists in 1935. Now, after a DNA study, a 3D artist has reconstructed...
Scientists have recreated the face of a 2000-year-old Egyptian boy , using CT scanning and 3D imagery technologies. The reconstructed face was then compared to the boy’s mummy portrait . In Egypt, at...
The wounded face of a female Viking warrior found buried with weaponry has been reconstructed. The warrior’s skeleton was excavated in a Viking graveyard in Solør, Norway, and was found to have been...
Before the famed Australopithecus afarensis Lucy roamed the land of Ethiopia some 3.18 million years ago, one of her progenitors, an Australopithecus anamensis, met its demise in what is now the...
Facial reconstructions allow us to look eye to eye with our ancient ancestors and relate to them in a way that skeletal remains do not inspire. It can be dehumanizing to look at a bare skull , and...
There have been a number of high-profile reconstructions of historical figures recently and it seems like whenever a reconstruction is shared there is controversy and argument about whether the...