See the stunning reconstruction of a Stone Age woman who lived 10,500 years ago in Belgium
Researchers and artists have created a striking facial reconstruction of a woman of the Stone Age who lived around 10,500 years ago in what is now Belgium.
The detailed representation of the prehistoric hunter-hunter, known as “Margaux Woman”, is based on various scientific data, including the remains of his skeleton and old DNA, according to a statement of the University of Ghent in Belgium.
Reconstruction – which was produced by the interdisciplinary interdisciplinary project interdisciplinary of the old migration (ROAM), in collaboration with Dutch artists and twin brothers Adrie and Alfons Kennis – reveals an intriguing set of features.
Roam Research indicated that the hunter-choper probably had blue or light eyes and an “average” medium “skin complexion, project manager Isabelle de GrooteA professor in the Archeology Department of the University of Ghent, told Live Science in an email. This complexion seems to be slightly lighter than that of most of the other individuals in Western Europe in the Mesolithic period (or of the average stone age) that scientists have studied so far.
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Comparing it to other people who lived almost in the same period, such as the iconic Cheddar From England, reveals this “subtle but important” difference which highlights the variation already present in Western Europe of post-ice age, said groot. “The skin pigmentation of Margaux women underlines a greater complexity of the pigmentation of the skin within these populations and that it was more heterogeneous than we thought before.”
The cheddar belonged to the same population of hunters in Western Europe as the Margaux woman, according to the press release. Previous research suggested that he also had blue eyes, although his skin complexion was slightly darker. Other members of this hunter population shared a similar combination of dark skin and pale eyes.
The Margaux Woman
The remains of the hunter-chief for the first time were revealed in 1988 during a excavation from the Margaux cave near Dinant, in the region of the Belgium Valley. At the time, the genetic analysis techniques that informed the new reconstruction were not available. The research team first scanned the woman’s skull and created a 3D printed reproduction, said groot. The Kennis Brothers then used this printed version to model the muscle and the skin of the head. They did it using anatomical standards for the region while taking into account the age of women. Based on the characteristics of her skull, the researchers estimated that she would have been between 35 and 60 years old at her death.
The team has deduced its potential eye color and skin complexion using old DNA extract from parts of its skull. They also considered the effect of Sunntanning to recreate the color of her skin, since she was probably experiencing a mobile and outdoor lifestyle.
Although facial reconstructions like these can provide a fascinating window on the distant past, certain elements are Open to interpretation.
“The real complexion and the color color are difficult to discern,” said a groote. “There is no exact answer in old DNA.”
