FACES OF 16 ROMAN-ERA BUDAPEST RESIDENTS RECONSTRUCTED FOR MUSEUM DISPLAY

Sixteen individuals who lived in Aquincum, a Roman-era city in present-day Budapest, have had their faces reconstructed using forensic techniques for a new exhibition at the Aquincum Museum. Six of the reconstructions are hyperrealistic silicone models featuring artificial eyes, human hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and, in some cases, beards. The display pairs skulls excavated in and around the ancient city with scientifically informed approximations of how their owners may have looked in life. The exhibition, which runs through 31 October, includes men, women and a child.

Aquincum stood on the Danube frontier of the Roman Empire during the first through fourth centuries and housed a diverse population. Genetic and archaeological analyses of the individuals point to connections with regions including present-day Italy, Scotland and Syria, as well as Sarmatian groups from the Eurasian steppe and Celtic communities that lived in the region before Roman rule. Forensic facial reconstruction specialist Emese Gábor sculpted the silicone faces. The reconstruction process begins with a high-resolution 3D CT scan of the original skull.

Emese Gábor stated that the face is the most important feature for recognising a person and that reconstruction allows museum visitors to encounter the faces as those of "a real human being rather than as skeletal remains". Although a skull cannot reveal every detail of a person's appearance, the technique enables closer approximation of how individuals looked during their lifetimes. The Aquincum Museum continues to excavate cemeteries in the area, with remains regularly discovered.